Pitmuies Gardens

How beautiful is this?

A classic example of ignoring the beauty on your own doorsep. Pitmuies Gardens.....about 8 miles from my house.

I last visited this beautiful garden about 25 years ago.

I'd completely forgotten how wonderful it is.

And to compound the ridiculousness of it all... I drive past it twice a day.....

How crazy is that?....

Two walled gardens adjoin an old white-harled house which was much enlarged and altered in the 18th century. The garden walls are still as shown on an estate map of 1780 and shelter a traditional fruit and cut-flower "kitchen" garden leading to the semi-formal gardens beyond. These gardens have a mix of roses, herbaceous borders and a much celebrated summer display of delphiniums. Old plant varieties are treasured and there are shrubs and shrub-roses, paved areas for dianthus and violas and a lily pond with fountain central to the rose gardens. Trellises for climbers and a conservatory housing rampant passion flowers all combine to provide varied habitats for a wide collection of plants. In Springtime there are massed spring bulb displays and outside the two gardens an "alpine meadow" leading to woodland, river and loch-side walks with some magnificent trees and intruiging buildings, which include a Gothick-style washhouse, a turreted dovecote, some 18th century farm buildings and former stabling. These have stone slate roofs and one, the potting shed, is festooned with ferns and bears the date 1775.

History of Garden

The gardens seem to have evolved over time - their present appearance relates to the last century, with much additional planting and alteration by the present owners over the past 30-40 years. This was only possible because they are "domestic", rather than grand, in scale and ambience. Extensive restoration and repair of the house and its ancillary buildings has been undertaken and is on-going with support from Historic Scotland. Architecturally all are listed Grade A.

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