‘In 1902, Sir Basil Montgomery took up residence and began restoring the garden’
Three years ago, when Donald Fothergill drove through the gates of Kinross House, he was instantly smitten. At the end of a straight grass- and tree-flanked drive sat Sir William Bruce’s masterpiece, built between 1685 and 1693 and the first Palladian, neo-classical house in Scotland. Once inside, Donald was equally captivated by the central axis that continues through the house, across Loch Leven and to the castle where Mary, Queen of Scots was famously incarcerated in 1567. Forty-five minutes later he shook hands with owner Jamie Montgomery and the house was his.
The site has an intriguing history. Sir William bought it in 1675 from the Douglas family and he then spent a decade preparing the sandy peninsula and shaping the landscape. With the help of his son John, he oversaw the planting of 100,000 trees. Many of these were chestnuts that had been imported from France and raised from seed at Kinross. In 1685 landscape designer Alexander Edwards was commissioned to lay out the formal walled garden. Wide open lawns set off the rear and west-facing façades, while to the front and east, three large terraces were arranged following the classical proportions of the house in the fashionable Franco-Dutch style. The gardens were so successful that they became well known even before the house was finished.
Kinross remained in the possession of the Bruce family for a century before it passed, by marriage, to Sir James Montgomery. In 1902 Sir Basil Montgomery took up residence at Kinross and began restoring the garden, following Sir William’s original plans as far as possible. He replanted yew hedges and trees, established a formal rose garden and laid out the generous herbaceous borders that line the garden walls.
Donald Fothergill’s aim is to continue the work, emphasising Sir William’s original
vision. ‘It was built by a great Scotsman, who brought in the best craftsmen, and I am determined to do the same,’ Donald says, adding that he decided to use the same principles in revitalising the garden. ‘The current masterplan brings back to Kinross a 21st-century sustainable interpretation of the drama, scale and rigorously planned geometry that sat so firmly at the core of Sir William Bruce’s vision. It was a masterwork of arithmetic.’
Much of the structural yew hedging and iconic spiral topiary was retained. ‘You need height and form in a garden,’ Donald says, ‘and the yew is perfect for that.’
Drawing on the knowledge and expertise of Threave-trained head gardener Kenny Stewart, a dramatic layout of geometric beds now features a striking, contemporary planting scheme, with grasses and perennials inspired by Dutch landscape designer Piet Oudolf ’s naturalistic planting.
The overall colour scheme, Donald explains, has been chosen to reflect the soft, muted colours of Scotland’s natural landscape: soft purple Salvia sylvestris ‘Mainacht’ and S. ‘Superba’, pink Lythrum salicaria ‘Blush’ and blue veronicastrum blend with bloodred sedum ‘ Ruby Glow’ and ‘ Matrona’. In late summer the scheme glows with dark red Helenium autumnale ‘Rubinzwerg’ and its fiery orange cousin ‘Sahin’s Early Flowerer’: warm tones that complement the autumnal hues of the trees in the surrounding landscape.
Texture comes from the soft blues and silver of Eryngium planum x tripartitum and Eryngium alpinum ‘Superbum’ and the arching branches of Perovskia atriplicifolia ‘Blue Spire’. Fragrance comes from edgings of lavender.
Key to the spectacular success of all three parterres is the inspired use of grasses, meticulously planned to create different effects. In the central parterre, 1,500 beige-tinted Molinia caerulea ‘Heidebraut’ combine with scatterings of maroon-headed Allium spharceo-cephalum and lightly rusted Digitalis ferruginea.
‘The digitalis peek through the grasses all
season to bring colour, form and movement to the scheme,’ Kenny explains. ‘When the wind blows the whole parterre moves as one. All grasses vary in height and structure and types of seed heads.’
Key grasses include the autumn moor grass Sesleria autumnalis and Sesleria nitida and the two parterres are linked with further use of Molinia caerulea ‘Heidebraut’ and ‘Edith Dudszus’.
Planting scheme
From the central border your eye is drawn down the double border, planted in a succession of whites, blues and yellows, followed by the pinks and reds of sedum and golden solidago. Soft white anaphalis threads t hrough blue nepeta, asters, heleniums and lysimachia ‘Firecracker’ to soften and link the scheme. None of the plants requires any staking, not even tall eupatorium with terracotta-coloured flowers, here skilfully framed by the reds of persicaria and astilbe.
The symmetrical layout of the garden continues in t he lower parterre, where Sir William’s original vision for an orchard has been reintroduced north and south of t he ornamental Fish Gate, which opens up onto
‘The symmetrical layout of the garden continues in the lower parterre’
the loch shore. In a striking twist, the apple and pear trees are underplanted with a palette of Scottish native wild flowers.
Vision and passion
A walk with Donald along the immaculately edged grass paths that wind between the newly planted borders reveals his vision, energy and attention to detail. His remarks are peppered with a sense of humour.
‘Pity the poor head gardener at Kinross House,’ he says. ‘Depending on the weather, we do daily or weekly walk-rounds with Kenny and his notebook in hand: he writes regular reports to keep family members updated on progress.’ This includes a diary of weekly work, noting unusual jobs and events. An astonishing 19,000 new plants and 27,000 new bulbs were purchased and planted.
Plans are afoot for the south-facing, yewen-closed Theatre Lawn and the Sundial Garden. Admitting with a smile that Kinross was purchased ‘in an hour of madness’, Donald confirms the gardens have become a passion. ‘There is nothing more exhilarating than relaxing in or walking through these gardens,’ he says. ‘I am so fortunate that I have the ability to see the finished product.’