Three tidal site gardens are to be grown at spots along Loch Long and Gare Loch after Cove Park was selected as a location for a nationwide creative arts programme.
Partnering with Dandelion, Scotland’s contribution to the UK-wide UNBOXED project, Cove Park will be one of 12 Unexpected Gardens sites.
Francesca Bertolotti-Bailey, Cove Park CEO, said: “We are extremely grateful to Dandelion to give us the opportunity to work with the ecologies, histories and communities unique to Loch Long and Gare Loch.
“These partnerships allow us to generate new ideas, projects and activities for exchange, collaboration and care around the communal production of food at times of climate chaos.”
The gardens along the Rosneath Peninsula will be artist-led, with sites being developed at a disused car park at Centre 81 in Garelochhead, the Sailing Club in Cove, and the wooded glen of Clachan.
Katie Mackay, Centre 81 manager, said: “Centre 81 is delighted to be part of Cove Park’s Unexpected Gardens Project.
“Turning an unused area of our car park into a productive, accessible garden will provide an inspiring area for all centre users to grow, engage and facilitate conversations about the environment, sustainability and what growing means for our community.”
Autumn Brown, project manager at the Enchanted Nature Trail in Rosneath, added: “The Enchanted Nature Trail is an ongoing project, bringing community and nature together so this is the perfect way to showcase new features in the Glen.
“We have so many areas with so much potential and collaborating with Dandelion and Cove Park in creating something unique will inspire others to do the same.”
The programme is driven by the concept of ‘Sow, Grow, and Share’ and aims to bring artists, scientists, performers and technologists together.
Cove Park will work with the community to discuss and share local traditions in relation to the growing and gathering of food on the shore, such as seaweed and sea buckthorn.
It is hoped the project can prevent this knowledge from being lost or forgotten.
Each Unexpected Garden site will host its own series of events this summer, with the programme culminating in hundreds of harvests across Scotland.
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