I am delighted to be one of a group of six artists in residence at Inverewe Gardens over the spring and summer 2019. I'll be writing poetry alongside a painter, a sculptor, a singer songwriter, a land artist and a textile artist. The other artists are Kathy Sutherland, Ann Coomber, Dorje Khandro Dawid, Lynn Bennett Mackenzie and Joanne Kaar. Together we aim to produce a cohesive response to the garden, whilst also exploring our own passions. The first of several weeks together happened last week and we already clearly share similar values and are sparking ideas off each other, whilst having a lot of fun.

It was glorious to be present in the garden at all hours, to be able to wander out while the owl hooted, to watch the dawn over the loch, and to join happy visitors enjoying the gorgeous spring flowers. I can't wait for my next stay there.

Inverewe is a woodland garden and I am naturally drawn first to the native trees, most specially to the Scots pines, which were planted by Osgood Mackenzie when there were only two willows on the whole peninsula. They have provided shelter ever since, enabling an extraordinary variety of other plant species to thrive beneath their canopy. It feels symbolically heart-warming that our national tree, the Scots pine, should be so welcoming to migrants.

There is an exhibition of all six of our work, including some of my photopoems, at Inverewe Gardens until about 9 May. There will be another exhibition in September to showcase the work we produce this summer. For more information see here.