• Welcome Page
• Times Prices & Location
• The House
• The Gardens
• Visitor Centre
• Holiday Lodges
• Weddings
• Corporate & Private Functions
• Meet our Ancestors
• Visual Arts Programme
• 2008 Events
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Press Releases

The Rock Garden

Designed by Thomas Mawson in the 1890s, the elaborate Rock Garden occupies the most prominent spot in the grounds. It is based around two burns that snake down the hill and converge in a large fish-filled pond by the house.

The burns are crossed by an intricate network of gravel paths and stepping stones. Water is piped in stone conduits for over a mile from Scoulag Burn, before overflowing under the house and cascading into the lower policies.

Benefiting from a milder climate than is usual, this garden is home to a handsome range of rare evergreen trees and plants from the East. As a result, this is probably the only garden in Scotland that boasts a good sized Reevesia pubescens (a very rare, evergreen tree introduced by the renowned plant hunter Ernest 'Chinese' Wilson in 1910) and a beautiful Michelia doltsopa. There are also examples of three varieties of Stuartia – a plant genus named after John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute. Restored and reworked in the 1950s and 1980s, part of the Rock Garden was also replanted in 2002.

Did you know?
The steep slopes of The Rock Garden mean that when gardeners move the plants around, they have to toboggan both plant and gardener down the hill on a large sheet of hardboard!