Garden of the week

Mount Stuart Gardens Mount Stuart, Bute, PA20 9LR

The history of Mount Stuart’s gardens and designed landscape stretches back as far as 1717, when they were laid out by the architect of the first Mount Stuart house, Alexander McGill.

He positioned the house to face eastwards, affording its owner, the 2nd Earl of Bute, fabulous views across the garden and out over the Firth of Clyde to Great Cumbrae.

Since then, the original garden and designed landscape have been adapted and developed as the tastes and horticultural interests of successive generations of the Bute family changed down the centuries.

Set within a vast estate covering 271 hectares (670 acres) on the island of Bute, Mount Stuart’s diverse gardens and designed landscape are made for exploring.

Stretching from from Kerrycroy village in the north, to the fascinating Calvary Pond and Wee Garden in the south, the landscape encompasses wild shoreline, mature woodland, long avenues and spectacular ornamental gardens, all of which form suitably impressive surroundings for the Neogothic mansion at their centre.

Three key areas, the Kitchen,

Rock and Wee Gardens, are easily incorporated into any visit, thanks to their accessibility from the house and colourful displays of plants over a long season. Amazing discoveries await.

Website: mountstuart.com

Telephone: 01700 503877

Opening times: Open daily from 3 April

2020

Admission costs: Adult Garden only£8.25, House and Gardens £13. Concessions and family tickets available online. Schoolchildren go free.

Garden of the Week is in association with Discover Scottish Gardens. For more information, advice and day-out ideas, visit discoverscottishgardens.org