A New Favourite Garden.

29th May 2023

It's been a long winter, much of the time spent twiddling my thumbs, staring impatiently at the soil to see when, or even if, anything was going to grow this year. But here we are, in the midst of Spring, time racing past with indecent speed; it's time to get out there and enjoy the horticultural fest that is Garden Visiting Time!

Over the years David & I have visited a lot of gardens in the UK, from Dunrobin Castle in North West Scotland to Trebar Gardens, towards the western tip of Cornwall. It occurs to me that, as I write this, these two gardens in particular are my all-time favourites. They have what is commonly referred to as the Wow Factor.

After a two-hour drive from Invergarry's Glengarry Castle Hotel on the shores of Loch Ness, we drew up in front of this towering, imposing edifice that is Dunrobin Castle, family seat of the Earl of Sutherland and the Clan Sutherland. But it was when we ventured to the rear of the castle that my mouth formed a perfect O. A gasp of sheer delight at the drama of the terraced formal gardens, sloping towards a pair of magnificent iron gates. The whole garden was flanked by imposing brick walls which appeared to hold back the tempestuous North Sea.