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www.nts.org.uk This is a great or grand garden and is both expansive and spectacular. During the summer months the parterre is a mass of colour and in the winter the boxwood hedges are still wort
h seeing.
The late George Baron of Beechgrove Garden had a big influence on its restoration and the National Trust for Scotland acknowledge his contribution in the garden. An agricultural museum also resides at Pitmedden and you can reminiscence about times when farming was a major employer in the countryside.
2 CASTLE KENNEDY, near Stranraer, Gallowaywww.castlekennedygardens.co.uk This garden is wonderful to see when rhododendrons and azaleas are in bloom. Your senses are overwhelmed by the colour and scents in the air about you. Good walking is to be enjoyed as you progress from Castle Kennedy through the estate towards Lochinch Castle. This is a private residence; however, the access to the garden takes you within an apple’s throw of the front door.
3 CAMBO HOUSE, near St Andrews, Fife01333 450054
www.camboestate.com The walled garden is the jewel in the crown here. Strong displays of herbaceous plants all summer long and the most spectacular displays of snowdrops in the spring make this a garden worth visiting. As is the case with so many gardens there is always something of interest all the year round. The plant sales are worth looking at as you might find just the one you have been looking for and couldn’t source at a garden centre.
4 GREENBANK GARDEN, Clarkston, Glasgowwww.nts.org.uk Greenbank’s walled garden is compact. It is also easy to access by bus. There is always something to see and regular visits bring their own rewards. The garden is one of rooms and the grass paths and planting take you from room to room. All are different. The raised pond in the area devoted to raised beds is a unique feature which allows both walkers and people confined to wheelchairs to get up close to the water to see water lilies and pond skaters for example.
5 BRODICK CASTLE, Isle of Arran www.nts.org.ukThe hour-long ferry journey from Ardrossan in Ayrshire to Brodick on Arran is a great way to start your visit to Brodick Castle. By the time you reach Arran you feel as if you have left the rat race behind. And so you have. The walled garden is one of the strong points . The North Atlantic drift fed by the Gulf stream warms the waters passing Arran and the gardens have an exotic feel to them rhododendrons from China and Himalayas are superb. Many plants on display cannot be grown on the mainland. Echium pininana, the tree echium, has spikes of flowers as tall as four metres. They put on a great show with their blue flowers in midsummer. These are loved by bumble bees which forage vigorously.
6 INWOOD, Carberry, near Musselburghwww.inwoodgarden.com Lindsay Morrison, with the help of her husband, Irvine, has carved out a beautiful garden from spruce woodland adjacent to their home. They have set such a high standard that it would be difficult to find a leaf out of place. They have also been adventurous, growing a banana out of doors on the cooler east coast. They do wrap it up well for winter!
They have an excellent plant collection including the Wedding Cake Stand tree also known as the Pagoda tree, Cornus alternifolia “Argentia” which is a star.
This a garden worth visiting for the colourful island beds, the plant collection and the welcome extended by the Morrisons to visitors.
• Brian M Sutherland takes parties on guided walks to Scotland’s gardens and landscapes. He trained at Threave School of Practical Gardening and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.
The full article contains 650 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
