LEAFY LEGACY
James and Carola Campbell are continuing the work of James’s father, Sir Colin Campbell, to restore the gardens of Kilbryde Castle to their former glory
The gardens of Kilbryde Castle are a family affair for James and Carola Campbell
‘The wild garden is reached from a steep
path that winds down the side of the gorge to the river’
Shortly after James and Carola Campbell moved from London to Kilbryde Castle, James’s family home set in the Perthshire countryside west of Dunblane, a large consignment of rhododendrons arrived unexpectedly. ‘It turned out to be a legacy from my father-inlaw, Colin Campbell, who laid out the garden,’ says Carola, who had to dash out into the garden to clear enough space to accommodate the new arrivals. ‘He was incredibly well organised and never did anything by halves. When he placed an order for bulbs, shrubs or trees he always ordered in large quantities.’
It was a dramatic introduction to a new garden and 20 years later the couple are still drawing on this legacy. ‘The garden is very well stocked with trees and shrubs and bulbs,’ says Carola, who recently enrolled in the RHS horticulture course at Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh. ‘We have only recently started to make some changes.’
Dating from the 15th century, with later Victorian additions, Kilbryde is perched on the north side of the steep ravine that flanks the River Ardoch, which encircles the garden on three sides. Approached down an impressive avenue of oak and beech trees, the turreted and towered castle appears suspended in mid-air, a position that allows views over the entire garden from inside.
Loosely divided into three parts – a wild garden, a formal walled garden attached to the west side of the castle, and a woodland area – the garden was overgrown and neglected when Sir Colin Campbell, a Glasgow-based businessman, began to work on it in the 1970s.
Just one black and white photograph of the walled garden, laid out in a formal, symmetrical design of beds punctuated by clipped conifers, remained. Although a relatively inexperienced gardener, Colin rapidly learnt which plants were suited to the acid soil and damp conditions, planting a wide variety of rhododendrons, azaleas and ornamental trees.
Carola and James, who have three children, now manage the garden organically with parttime help from WWOOfers (travellers from overseas who provide labour in return for lodgings as part of a scheme run by the charity, Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms). Recently, having done up parts of the house, Carola enlisted the landscape architect, Heidi Howcroft, to simplify the garden. ‘There were areas of the garden that had become overgrown and too labour intensive,’ she said.
One of their projects was the extension of the sunny, yellow wildflower meadow directly below the castle. Only close inspection reveals the multitude of colours that make up the meadow. ‘We use Meadow Mania wild flower seeds,’ explains Carola. ‘ When you get near, you see all the different flowers but from a distance the effect is yellow,’ she says, explaining that yellow rattle reduces unwanted grass.
The wild garden is reached from a steep path that winds down the side of the gorge to the river where Mary, Queen of Scots reputedly planted daffodils.
And what is even more certain is that the ivy that cascades down the north-facing bank
‘Roses now flourish on
the walls’
would have been there in the 16th century.
Entered through a gate in the top wall, the sloping walled garden is laid out with beds and lawns punctuated by conifers where the focal point is a pair of Gothic-style arches salvaged from Dunblane Cathedral.
Here, Heidi helped to remove five rose beds, a project that involved ‘lots of digging’. Roses now flourish on the walls and there are ‘200 yards less of edging,’ according to Carola.
Another introduction has been a horizontal, pleached hornbeam walk, carpinus betulus, which adds winter structure while screening the lower garden in summer. ‘On the top side of the pleached hornbeam avenue, we have a new flower bed, which currently has green manure planted in preparation for a lovely contempo- rary, colourful, self-supporting planting plan,’ she says.
Hard-working varieties will include: anemone, asters, crocosmia, echinops, heleniums and helianthus combined with solidago, thalictrum, verbena, verbenia and tall veronicastrum. Rambler roses, hiawatha and minnehaha will be planted along the back wall. ‘All have thrived in the wet summer with no casualties except a hare enjoying a crocosmia or two,’ explains Carola.
The path that leads towards the gently undulating woodland garden continues up the side of a small burn, which is punctuated with waterfalls and backed with banks of ferns. ‘We are clearing Portuguese laurel and encouraging candelabra primula to spread along the edge of the burn and transplanting iris and ferns,’ Carola says.
At the top of the hill there is a spectacular view of the Gargunnock Hills. Despite the challenges posed by muddy and slippery banks, ten rhododendrons kindly given by Sir Peter Hutchison and grown from seed collected on his travels in China, were recently planted. Another generous gift from Evelyn Stevens led to the establishment of a meconopsis bed.
Carola, whose previous gardening experience was limited to four months spent on the Isle of Gigha, where she had a chance to observe the clearly labelled plants and shrubs first-hand, radiates enthusiasm for this garden.
‘The informality of the garden appeals to me,’ she says. ‘It is an absolute paradise. Change is happening, but slowly. Having Heidi’s help has been very motivating; she is full of ideas.’