Blair Castle front drive

Lime tree avenue

Blair Castles’ front drive lime tree avenue was planted in two parts, roughly divided in half, the section nearest the village was planted in 1844 and the half nearer the castle in the 1740s. Whilst the great storms of 1893 and 1987 and some others along the way have done some damage, the greatest threat to the older section of drive is simply its age. After much consultation with tree experts and tree lovers, the route forward is to give the oldest trees quite a severe haircut, especially on their crowns. This will make a visual material change for some years but should extend the trees lives by 25-30 years. Simultaneously we will be growing a replacement avenue of lime trees so that when the time comes to replace the old with the new it can be done in a uniform manner with as little drama as possible. So much respect for these wonderful old trees and we hope our measures will keep them going for longer but also preserve the integrity and beauty of the avenue.