L
ikea well-designedbook,the
gardenatBroadwoodsidein
EastLothian, 20 mileseastof
Edinburgh,is shapedwithpleasing
clarity.Stonemarginsframetheclippedpanels
ofivythatcladthewallslikewhitepaperaround
blocksoftextona page;potsarearrangedwith
thecarefulprecisionofliteraryfootnotes.
WhenRobertandAnnaDalrympleboughtthe
propertyin 1998 it wasa collectionofmostlyderelict
buildingssetina seaofmud.Nowit is hometoa
renownedgarden,thecollaborativeeffortofthree
people:Robert,a graphicdesigner,Annaand
gardenerGuyDonaldson,whohasworkedwiththe
couplesince1999.Itslayoutwaslargelydetermined
bythefootprintofexistingbuildingsandthelong,
relativelynarrowpieceofgroundthattheyoccupy.
‘Theplantingofthisgardenwas simply an exercise
incolouringin,’saysRobert.
A pairofshelteredcourtyardsformtheheartof
thegarden.TheUpperCourtyardis dividedintoa
chequerboardof 25 squarebedswitha centraliroko
pavilionusedasanaviary.Thesquaresaredefined
bygranitesettsandfilledwithcobbles,grassor
standardAcerplatanoides‘Globosum’underplanted
withmostlygreenplants,includingclippedbox
spheres,creepingground-coverPachysandra
terminalisandgrassyOphiopogonbodinieri.
Annaseesherselfasthe‘chaoticinfluence’inthe
garden.‘I liketofillthestructurewithcolourusing
lotsofbulbsearlyintheyear,andthenannuals
andperennialslikecosmosanddahlias,’shesays.
TheLowerCourtyardis spaciousandflowery,with
quarteredlawns,trainedfruittreesanda large
containerinthemiddlebrimfulwithdeep-purple
Salvia‘Amistad’ringedbyGeraniumRozanne,
bothfloweringwellintoautumn.Potsofbrightblue
agapanthusstandtoattentioninfrontofa wall
surfaced with ivy, and a frothy border of eupatoriumandJapaneseanemonesis litfrombelowby
terracottapotsfilledwithwhitedaisies.
Assummerscanbeshortandwinterslongand
darkinScotland,plantingneedstoworkallyear
roundsothereareplentyofevergreens.Thefront
doorofthefarmhouseis framedbysymmetrical
groupsofpotsplantedwithstandardbay,sarcococca
andMahonia‘SoftCaress’,whilefernsareallowedto
seedintothegravelatthebaseofthewall.A topiary
walkleadingwestfromthekitchendoorfeatures
Portugueselaurel,yew,box,hollyandpyracantha.
TheWalledGardenontheeastsideofthesteading
hasa formalpondfedbyrainwateratitscentre.
Surroundingbordersaredevotedtogrowing
vegetables,herbsandflowersforcutting.Carrotsare
grownina bigwashingcopperandthewoodengate
is insetwiththreegreen-paintedgardenforks,a
bold,graphictouchthatis typicalofthisgarden.
Inthewidergardenthereareavenuesof
hornbeams,a smallorchard,a miniarboretum,
paddocksandwoodlandwalksdottedwith
sculptures.FromthedampSouthGarden,withits
monumentalwashed-uptreetrunkandportholes
setteasinglyintothelawn,thereareviewsacross
widearablefieldstotheLammermuirHills.
Playfultextfeaturesthroughout:‘Goingtothedogs’
is inscribedonthegatepostsleadingtothedogs’
graveyardandthewords‘rose’,‘bay’,‘willow’and
‘herb’arecarvedintoindividualwoodenroundels.
Therearemanysalvagedobjects,too,includinga
finialfromtheoldHolyroodBreweryinEdinburgh
andflagstonesfromanArbroathmill.
Itis a placeofstyleandwit.Robert’sbolddesign,
Anna’seyeforcolourandGuy’sexpertisehave
combinedtomakeBroadwoodsidea serious garden
that refuses to take itself too seriously. &■Broadwoodside,Gifford, East Lothian, EH41 4JQ,
broadwoodside.co.uk.HOMESANDGARDENS.COM 109INSPIRATION