Story:

 

In August 2023, a wildfire, arguably the largest ever recorded in the UK, swept through RSPB’s Corrimony Reserve. What was once a thriving, biodiverse forest was reduced to a blackened, seemingly lifeless landscape.  After the Fire is inspired by that moment of devastation, which even in its immediate aftermath, held subtle signs of resilience and the renewal to come.

 

This garden is not only a journey through the recovery of a Scottish woodland, but also a human story, one that invites us to reflect on how hope can emerge from destruction.

 

The garden begins in a charred landscape, marked by a central firepit: a symbolic origin of destruction and change. The surrounding earth is scorched, timbers blackened, the memory of fire still vividly present. Yet beneath the ash-stained ground lies biochar, a climate-positive material that sequesters carbon, enriches the soil, and sparks ecological regeneration. Unbeknownst to visitors, hope and positive change are already taking root in the blackened earth.

 

Soon after, pine seedlings begin to break through the soil, subtly pointing the way forward. Early coloniser species, like mosses, emerge defiantly around a silvered, two-year-old tree stump (collected from the fire site at Corrimony with permission from RSPB), standing as a sculptural testament to the fire’s impact. A winding path, littered with remnants of the blaze, draws us onward towards signs of renewal.

 

As we progress, the landscape begins to lighten. The path becomes clearer and more defined, and the charring lifts from the timbers. Seating invites us to pause and reflect, on the journey so far and on nature’s perseverance. From this vantage point, we see clusters of native species returning; pioneering birches, Salix aurita regrowing and an altogether more complex matrix of plant groups appears, the landscape pulsing with new possibilities. Behind this space stands a hexagonal structure made into a bug hotel: an engine room driving the resilience of the emerging ecosystem.

 

Subtle stone arrangements break through the timbers and guide us further, ushering us into a beautiful space. A pattern of finely arranged natural stones sit here, an artistic expression of radiance shooting outward. We are invited to rest on a bench (Wolfe Studio) that reminds us of where we came from. It captures the story: rising from a charred, rough base into a form of rich, vibrant native hardwoods. Around us, maturing trees offer shelter, while young saplings continue to emerge. The space is not finished, but alive and ever-changing.

 

At the heart of it all lies the water bowl, a symbol of life perfectly placed within a golden ratio spiral, the pattern upon which the garden is based. It is a reminder that nature’s own designs have led us here. In this moment of stillness, we see not only what has survived the fire, but what has flourished because of it.