Garden Visits - The gardens of Abbotsford House

Abbotsford House

Not far from us along the Tweed valley lies Abbotsford House and it's gardens, famously known as the home of Sir Walter Scott. Sitting between Galashiels and Melrose on the banks of the River Tweed the house and garden were built over 200 years ago by Scott on the back of his literary success. The house, contents and gardens remain a monument to Scott, maintained by his descendants and now a trust. The house is a great combination of many historical architectural features having no relation to each other but appearing in one building as the 19th century designers were inclined to do, it is also a testament to Scott's romantic notions, with turrets and Juliette balconies to name a few. 

Approaching the house and gardens

The three areas of garden ending with the kitchen garden and greenhouse over the wall

The gothic arches based on the cloisters at Melrose Abbey

For a grand county house the gardens are compact and contained within the walls that extend out from the house. Although some things have changed over the years, there are not many differences from the design Scott created all those years ago. The gardens are a rare example of Regency design, shying away from Capability Brown and his sweeping landscape and vista style which was all the rage at the time. Scott would have grown a range of the latest plant discoveries which would have been tended by the gardener, helped along by a stove house for the more tender plants.

A teasing glimpse of the gardens from
the outside of the garden wall

Eupatorium and fennel

Dahlias, jewels of colour in the garden in September

As you enter the gardens with the house on your left, you enter the first of three rooms. This courtyard area is simply laid out with paths, lawns and clipped evergreens leading to a sundial in the centre. Inserted into the surrounding walls are many artefacts of architecture, many with historical reference and symbolism. To the east side of this garden, providing a focal point and division of garden areas are the beautiful gothic arches, based on the cloisters of Melrose Abbey.

The clipped conifers lend themselves to black and white

Following the path round from the gothic arches you enter the second area of the gardens. Originally this area was created as a sunken scent filled flower garden. Although more simply laid out now, in Scott's time he created a sunken area and heightened the walls. There were more paths back then, dividing up the flower beds and a set of steps which climbed to meet the steps into the kitchen garden. Originally there was a heated fruit house and now it's space is filled with old roses and perennials to cover the ground below. Mixed plantings in the borders through the year keeps the garden interesting even when the focal point of the roses have passed.

Roses in the garden

A beautiful shade of deep peach on this rose

All the roses, could this be a dog rose?

The third garden area and possibly the most important is the kitchen garden. Used to produce fresh food for the house all year round, it manages to combine function and beauty. Its a small walled garden being one acre in size but there is a lot fitted in, including a greenhouse along the east wall.

Entering the kitchen garden

The greenhouse

Stately yellow Kniphofia

The layout hasn't change much in the last two centuries in this garden. The combining of flowers, herbs, vegetables and fruit is still popular, especially in a smaller garden, to maximise production. Scott did a lot of entertaining so a lot of fresh food would be required all year round. Some of the brick walls had flues running through them taking heat from the stoves to heat the walls  and help fruit ripen later in the year and to deter early frost damage.

Globe Artichokes

The central path leading to the greenhouse

Enjoying our visit to Abbotsford

Much of the produce used today is used in the cafe on site, which is very good by the way and dog friendly. The kitchen garden is lovely to walk round, enjoying all the herby smells and the array of veg growing, mostly from heritage seed varieties. 

Cobaea

Arums and Heuchera in the walled garden

Agastache, great for bees

We left the gardens and enjoyed a walk down through the parkland to the River Tweed. There are lots of paths to explore in the estate if you have time. Either alongside the river or through the woodland. There are 120 acrea of woodland and meadows on the estate. Much of the mature tree planting you see now was implimented by Scott when he bought the estate. These habitats mean there is a rich and diverse ecology and the estate is home to many plant, insect and animal species.

A lovely Dahlia in amonst the herbs

Japanese anemones

The Quirky Bird gardener and sidekick 

Enjoying a day off

Agapanthus and Astrantias

 

We visited at the beginning of September, 2020 and Bracken gave it an extra paw as the cafe was dog friendly as well as the gardens and he was supplied with his bowl of water too.

You can get lots of detail for visiting on the Abbotsford website

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