I can't remember when I last visited Culzean gardens, but I know it was more than one, possibly two decades ago! How can that be? We planned to take eldest son out for dinner in the evening, he lives in Kilmarnock, so we headed to Culzean for the day while he was at work. The weather was lovely, sunny with a wee bit cloud and warm. After grabbing a quick lunch at the cafe and enjoying sitting outside with Miss Maisie (another dog friendly place to visit) we headed off to explore the gardens and grounds of the castle.
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| Glorious Rhododendrons |
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| A view of the castle |
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| Magnolias |
The gardens and park land of Culzean are owned and run by the
National Trust for Scotland. Covering 240 hectares which include a castle, over 40 buildings and follies, woodland, a swan pond, parkland, a walled garden and beaches, this is no small estate! The castle designed by Robert Adam in the late 18th century sits in a commanding position on the cliffs over looking the sea on the Ayrshire coast. Built for David Kennedy, 10th Earl of Cassillis, the
Kennedy family, one of the oldest clans in Scotland, whose ancestry that can be traced back to Robert the Bruce.
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| Camellias just finishing flowering |
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| The Camellia House |
Walking from the Visitor center area, we walked past the castle, through the grounds towards the walled garden. If you look to your right on this path you will see the Camellia house which is open to visit. A glorious building of over the top garden building grandure, it's gothic architecture and glazed windows adding to its impressive presence. Inside it is equally impressive with light flooding in from the floor to ceiling windows and the roof lights. Indeed you can see why it is offered as a wedding venue, for why wouldn't you want to say yes in such a wonderful building. Built in 1818, it was originally planned as an orangery with an underfloor heating system. This system was originally a hypocaust system, introduced by the Romans when they came to Britain over 2000 years ago. Unfortunately the building failed as an orangery and later was used to grow camellias, where it gets it present name from. Sadly the building was abandoned, repaired in 1964 and happily restored in 1995.
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| Mad Maisie and I in the Camellia house |
From the Camellia house it was a short stroll to the walled garden. You can't miss it with the huge palm trees towering over the walls. The walled garden was built in the 18th century and is sheltered from the salt laden winds by woodland planted on the sea ward side of the garden. The tall walls and temperate west of Scotland climate add to the warmer climate where "less hardy in Scotland" plants thrive. The gardens are divided in two with a series of glasshouses running down one side of the wall. One half of the gardens are now used for production of food for the estate's catering facilities and the other is a pleasure garden offering a chance to walk amongst towering palms, herbs, herbaceous borders, a grotto and wildlife garden.
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| The entrance to the walled garden |
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| Cedars, palms and Rhododendrons |
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Rhododendron with the glasshouses in the background
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Culzean gardens were once one of the most pioneering in Scotland, the well known and still grown today, variety of onion 'Ailsa Craig' was bred by a gardener working at Culzean in the 1870's. The cultivation of peaches, nectarines and apricots were grown in the gardens as early as 1730! In the present day staff work to restore the gardens using a range of horticultural techniques and skills from past and present.
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| A good patch of gunnera on the path to the grotto |
The grotto consists of rubble outer walls creating a raised area over a barrel vaulted roof with rockery planting over it. In either side there is a recess into the walls, handy if you want to jump out on your companions 😂
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| Batman looking for bats...... |
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| Tulips in the productive side of the walled garden |
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| A willow gardener! |
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| Cistus in flower |
The glasshouses which run along the center of the walled garden are planted with fruit, cacti and many other interesting plants that need a bit of protection such as Pelargoniums, Begonias and a variety of house plants.
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| Begonias in the glasshouse |
From the walled garden we headed towards the shore side of the estate and some of the woodland paths. Lucky for us with it being May, the woods were awash with bluebells, what a sight! There is noting more pleasing than a dense swath of bluebells in the dappled shade of natural woods. It made my day.
Eventually the woodland path brought us back to the castle where we enjoyed views over the sea (well not far, it was hazy) then headed down one of the paths that takes you to the beach. After a walk along the beach and trying to teach Maisie to swim we headed back tot he car and off to Kilmarnock to visit Ben.
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| Culzean castle |
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What a perfect place. I want to LIVE in that camellia house!
ReplyDeleteisnt it wonderful? The light was lovely even on a dull day
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