Garden Visits - Monteviot House Gardens

Acers in the late summer sun

Monteviot house and gardens sits in a commanding and beautiful setting, above a bend of the river Tweed near Jedburgh in the Scottish borders. The estate is steeped in borders history with the Roman road Dere Street running through the grounds, ending at Newstead at Melrose, having originated in York. There has been a building of some kind on the site since medieval times including a Hospitaller known as the Ancrum Spittal. The remains of the old chapel and burial ground can still be found in the woodland. In the sixteenth century, the Kerr family acquired the lands, being an old borders family with notorious reiver ancestors. Over the centuries the house was expanded from a early 18th century lodge to a Palladian Villa which still forms the main part of the house as it stands today.

Monteviot House

As was the style of gardening in the 18th and 19th century, work was undertaken to improve the grounds and surrounding landscape, including planting many trees in the parkland and creating shelterbelts of trees. In recent years the house has again been extended and redecorated and many improvements carried out there and in the gardens.

The walk into the garden is through beautiful mature trees lining the driveway from the carpark. Payment is made at the hut and then you walk through to a lawned area with the house laid out beyond. Walking down the path following the arrows the border along side is full of colourful mature Japanese acers and evergreens. I knew there was a garden here, it's been on my list to visit for a while, but I was surprised and delighted with how much garden there was, the many interesting plants and hidden garden areas. It was a delight to visit. One of the lovely things about the garden is its not apparent just what's there as the garden falls away from the house on sloping lawns and terraced gardens. Then there are all the gardens tucked away in the woodland. My favourite type of garden.

At the end of the path we reached a wall and much of the gardens and the river come into view at this point, being lucky to visit on a sunny day, it was a lovely view that greeted us over the gardens, river and valley beyond. The route then takes you along the path above the Victorian rose garden.

Hubby and I with the rose garden below

The rose garden

Parthenocissus on the house wall

The route then took us past the rose garden and along the front of the house, clothed in climbers including a Partheocissus already changing colour. The herb garden nestled between two wings of the house is set out in a traditional parterre with lavander and box hedging containing useful herbs. Onwards to the winter garden accessed through animal proof fence and gate. Here the garden takes on a more enclosed feel, planted between stands of beautiful birch and cherry trees, which in the bareness of winter will provide much needed interest and colour with their fabulous trunks and stems. Underneath plantings of winter interest shrubs and perennial cover the ground and line the twisting path which works downhill under the canopy of the trees. Cornus, Salix, hellebores and witch hazel to name a few.

The sun filtering through the branches of birch trees in the winter garden

The papery peeling bark of cherry trees

Out into the sun again and we crossed the sloping lawns towards the rose garden. Enclosed on three sides by stone walls it is accessed through gates at either end. Although we visited in September there were still roses in flower and it was easy to get a sense of the scent and colour that fills the garden in high summer. 

From the rose garden into the River garden

Beyond the rose garden is the River garden. A grand stretch of lawn slopes down to a landing on the banks of the River Tweed. Running up both sides and along the top are impressive mixed borders of trees, shrubs and perennials providing colour and interest all year round. Designed and laid out in the 1960's they form a tapestry of colour and texture, crowned at the top with a lovely covered seating area set into the wall. 

Looking down the lawn of the River garden to the Tweed

Looking back up from the banks of the River

From here we walked through the laburnum tunnel (I'd love to see it in it's full glory in early summer)  past a planting of tree ferns and autumn crocus enjoying the sun on a grassy banking.

As I mentioned earlier, my favourite type of garden is one, comprised of different gardens within a garden, hidden from view, behind walls, hedges, stands of trees, so you are constantly surprised when you walk through a gateway or turn a corner. Monteviot manages to achieve that especially with the water gardens. Walking through the trees and along the edge of parkland the path turns in under the trees and reveals a pond surrounded by trees and edged by plantings of shade and moisture tolerant plants. Across it are four bridges joining the islands together taking the visitor from one end of the water garden to the other. This gives a great feeling of being within the garden and great views of the pond you wouldn't get from the edge. 

Hydrangeas along the edge of the Water garden

The Quirky Bird gardener in another garden

Beyond the water garden is the arboretum. There are many fine specimen trees of mixed ages, and a good mix of conifers and deciduous trees offering interest at any time of year. It was originally planted as a Victorian pinetum and has been added to over the decades. populated with squirrels and lots of birds it was a peaceful place to walk below the canopies of big trees.

Continuing our exploration of the gardens we exited the arboretum and followed the path through the Dene. A series of bridges and ponds takes you back and forth across the water with lovely plantings amongst the over hanging trees. 

Coming back out into the sunshine from the shade of the trees we entered the main garden again. Realising we had missed out on the Garden of Persistent Imagination we set off to explore more. These are the newest gardens and lie just above the river surrounded by hedges. These gardens make quite a contrast to the rest of the gardens in their layout and planting choice. I like when a garden explores different planting, themes and layouts, it's refreshing and interesting to see what other gardeners and garden owners are creating. There is much use of stone in the this garden including a stone pillared pergolas and stone arch. This is softened by the block plantings of shrubs and underplanting of perennials. 

Euchryphia flowers

We really enjoyed our visit to Monteviot gardens, its a garden for all seasons and with it's lovely views across the tweed, its varied gardens well worth a visit if you are in the area. The only down side for us is dogs aren't allowed in the gardens, so Bracken had to stay in the car. 

More info can be found on their website here: Monteviot

Or their facebook page here: Monteviot

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