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BCD Special Report
Historic Gardens 2010
35
book,
The Scots Gard’ner
, was not published
until 1683. Gardening, as we know it today,
was apparently rarely practised in Scotland
except by royalty, the monasteries and the very
wealthy prior to the accession of King James
VI (later King James I of England) in 1587.
The only vegetable known to have been widely
grown in Scotland was colewort or kale, with
onions, peas and beans being rarely grown by
the general population until the end of the 17th
century. Fruit was equally neglected, except in
monastic establishments: Dene Matho Tachet of
Culross Abbey is recorded as selling 15 ‘Plowm’
trees, probably bullaces (a type of wild plum),
to the treasurer of James IV in 1503.
The height of Culross’s prosperity was
reached during the life of George Bruce, a
descendant of King Robert the Bruce, who took
over Culross colliery in 1575. In 1597 Bruce
built himself the fine new house that became
known as ‘the Palace’. The building was further
extended in 1611, the year in which Bruce
was knighted by King James VI. It is uncertain
whether Sir George Bruce ever had a garden
of any ornamental merit at the rear of his
house. It is more likely that it was a kitchen
garden or kale-yard with a tethered pig and
hens to support the needs of his household, but
there is no archival evidence to support this.
Over the years, Culross gradually declined
with coal-mining and salt-panning dying
out by the early 19th century. Changes to
Culross Palace’s garden were not recorded
again until 1887. In their book,
Castellated
and Domestic Architecture of Scotland
,
MacGibbon and Ross described the palace
in great detail and recorded that the garden
‘forms a sort of hanging garden with several
terraces commanding a fine view over the
Firth of Forth and the country beyond’
.
Between 1932 and 1991 the palace
garden was developed by Historic Scotland
with a simple layout containing conifers,
herbaceous perennials, wall shrubs and fruit
trees. Following the trust’s reacquisition of
the property in 1991, a conservation plan
was produced analysing known historical
documentation including maps, drawings
and photographs. A proposal was then
developed for the future management and
presentation of the garden. Despite the lack
of archival material about Scottish gardens of
the early 17th century in general and Culross
Palace in particular, NTS felt that this was a
sufficiently important site and as likely as any
to represent the change from the horticulture
of the regal or monastic institutions of
the 16th century to the more ornamental
horticulture being introduced by the
developing middle class in the 17th century.
To that end, a model 17th-century garden
was created on the terraced slope behind the
palace under the direction of the author.
During the course of 1993, the garden
was transformed from an unremarkable
20th-century layout to a decorative yet
productive garden reflecting the style of early
17th century gardens. A series of eight raised
plots with interconnecting paths dressed in
crushed mussel and cockle shells was created
to support a wide range of period vegetables
including onions, peas, beans, skirret, kale,
scorzonera and salsify. However, most of the
vegetables currently grown are the oldest
varieties still commercially available, some of
which are sourced through Garden Organic’s
Heritage Seed Library. A covered walkway
supporting
Vitis vinifera
‘Ciotat’ (a variety
of the common grape vine) and mulberries
separates the main productive garden from a
small orchard of old Scottish fruit varieties and
a collection of rare Scots dumpy hens. To assist
with the planting palette, reference was made
to John Gerard’s
The Herball or Generall Historie
of Plantes
(1597) and the detailed inventory of
plants grown by Charles de l’Ecluse (Clusius)
at the University of Leiden in 1593–1594.
Since its reincarnation in 1993–1994, the
garden has continued to evolve based on a
developing understanding of 17th-century
horticulture and garden design, with an
even greater emphasis on period features.
These include trellis fencing, bowers, covered
seats, basket planters and historic tools.
Fyvie Castle
The trust embarked on another significant
garden makeover in 1997 to increase the
horticultural interest of the empty two-acre
walled garden close to the renaissance palace
frontage of Fyvie Castle in Aberdeenshire.
Fyvie Castle was built on a hillside
overlooking the waters of the River Ythan
and dates back to 1395 when Sir Henry
Preston built the first castle on the site of a
royal hunting lodge. During the 16th century
Fyvie was described ‘as a splendid palace’ and
probably had an enclosed garden. Whatever
grounds there may have been before 1644 they
were almost certainly destroyed in the battle
fought at Fyvie between the Duke of Montrose
and the Covenanters. The Hon William
Gordon inherited Fyvie estate in the early
18th century and in 1770 he began extensive
improvements to the castle and grounds,
which continued for the next 20 years. An
estate plan of 1822 shows the improvements
made by William Gordon and his son, which
included the walled gardens (built in 1777),
the large Fyvie Loch (designed by Robert
Robinson and later improved by James
Giles), the sinuous driveway, and extensive
parkland, woodlands and formal gardens.
The model 17th-century garden at Culross Palace
The new raised beds at Culross Palace
Fyvie Castle from the south west