A couple with a passion for the rare Arran Whitebeam has left a legacy for the island through their work to help save the native tree species from extinction.
Henry Murdo who has lived on Arran since 1968 and Margo McLellan, a native Arranach, have been working with the National Trust for Scotland to share their tree growing and planting knowledge with the next generation of green-fingered enthusiasts, after previously doing their work in secret.
Henry, a former wood cutter, and his partner Margo, a retired stained glass worker, who both share a passion for the island’s landscape, its nature, and the environment, became guerilla gardeners in a bid to help repopulate the Arran Whitebeam in Glen Rosa.
They would plant saplings grown in their tree nursery on land owned by the conservation charity undercover, to help speed up regeneration of the landscape that they hold so dear.
‘When I first came to Arran to start work as an apprentice dear stalker and game keeper at 15 or 16 years old, I remember being astounded at the barren landscape,’ Henry says.
‘It had been destroyed completely and was devoid of trees through years of over grazing and heath burning, which had decimated the tree population.
‘When I visited the Glen, I noticed a little gem of a tree, it stood out as it was isolated and had survived despite the sheep and deer, and it’s what got me interested in the Whitebeam species.
‘I was also inspired by the amazing work that has taken place at Mar Lodge Estate over the years, where the Trust has had a positive impact on the landscape by controlling the deer effectively, to help the trees recover and start regenerating naturally, which has led to a fantastic transformation up there.
‘I’m a keen gardener but Margo is fantastic; we don’t have any professional experience, just a love for gardening that has grown to become a passionate endeavour.
‘We’ve probably planted thousands of trees across the island. We started a small tree nursery in the garden growing Whitebeam and other trees I enjoyed by collecting seeds from the different species, even selling them to the Forestry Commission at one point because we had so many.
‘The guerilla gardening started out of frustration at the lack of progress being made to protect the landscape in previous years. We did it in secret, without asking permission from the Trust at the time.
‘Fortunately, we didn’t have to do it under the cover of darkness or in balaclavas, we would just go to different parts of the island and plant some trees while we were there.
‘We always got a great sense of satisfaction from doing it and leaving a lasting impression on the landscape.’
More recently, the couple has been working with the charity’s head ranger on the island, Kate Sampson, to impart their experience of tree growing and planting with Trust staff, volunteers and school groups assisting with efforts to regenerate Arran’s woodlands.
‘The Whitebeam are a robust species but are very difficult to grow from seed, so most of the saplings planted didn’t survive, as they weren’t protected from herbivores with guards for example, but we have had some success,’ Margo added.
‘The species was at the point of extinction with only a handful of trees left on the island, but Henry has the magic touch when it comes to growing them, when others haven’t been so successful, and has left a lasting impact on the landscape as a result.’
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