DAWYCK Botanic Garden, near Peebles, has welcomed nearly 18,000 visitors during the 2022 season, and there's still plenty to be seen before the winter break.

Although the garden will close for the winter season at the end of tis month, an enchanting sculpture trail is still open to visitors.

'A Delicate Balance', a collection of 20 sculptures explores feelings of strength and fragility in nature.

Created by Susheila Jamieson, the sculptures are hand carved from Kilkenny or Portland limestone.

Susheila said: “I am really happy with how the sculptures sit within the Garden.

"Working together with Graham Stewart, curator of Dawyck, has been great and the trail really is a truly collaborative project between the Garden and myself.”

Seventeen of the sculptures are up for sale, and will be available to buyers at the end of Dawyck's season.

Commission from the sale of the sculptures will go towards supporting the work of the garden.

Explaining her creative process, Susheila said: “They all start as quick sketches, but very quickly I go on to make models in clay.

"This allows me to explore forms more effectively.

"A very important part of my work process is ‘taking away’, I rub back into drawings, refine clay models by paring away at the clay.

"The carving process is all about taking away material to reveal a form.

"For me, the most exciting part is the beginning of a sculpture – roughing out the initial shape never ceases to amaze me.”

The sculpture trail is part of a self-guided route and gives visitors the chance to take in the pieces of art surrounded by the magnificent landscape.

Graham Stewart, curator at Dawyck Botanic Garden said he has been amazed by the enthusiasm with which the Sculpture Trail has been received. He said: “Dawyck Botanic Garden is truly a garden for all seasons and with such a variable and dynamic landscape which changes through the year, a visit to Dawyck is a real treat for the senses.

"Autumn at Dawyck is a feast of colour with all manner of reds, oranges and yellow hues providing as diverse a palette as you can imagine to really show off these amazing works of art to their very best.”

Dawyck Botanic Garden closes for winter on November 30, and will reopen on February 1, 2023.

For more information on the garden and A Delicate Balance, visit: www.rbge.org.uk/visit/dawyck-botanic-garden/