BOTANICAL BOUNTY
The new owners of Belhaven House continue to build on the rich legacy left by the previous occupants who nurtured this stunning garden
The garden that keeps on giving at Belhaven House in Dunbar
Seventeen years ago when Roz and Jon Bruneau first saw Belhaven House on the edge of Dunbar in East Lothian, owner Rebecca Tyndall left them on the terrace with a glass of wine ‘to think about things’. It was an excellent sales technique. ‘Rebecca told us not to worry about the garden and that we could come back to it later,’ Roz says.
But the garden could not be ignored and from the sunny terrace the couple admired the formal area, one of the spaces Rebecca, a knowledgeable plantswoman and skilled designer, had spent six years restoring.
There was also t he history to consider. Built in 1799, the Georgian house adjacent to Belhaven Hill School, but not a part of it, was acquired by the Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust in 1970. The garden was then devel
oped by Edinburgh-born Sir George Taylor, the RBGE-trained botanist and Director of Kew Gardens who was given Belhaven House as a lifetime legacy.
Taylor believed that plants were best understood when seen in their native habitat. Travelling widely he collected plants for the garden, including the handkerchief tree Davidia
involucrata, which still grows in the woodland garden, and the strawberry tree, Arbutus unedo, in the drive.
The Bruneaus, who had a nine-month old daughter, were inspired and took the plunge despite their busy professional lives. They launched themselves into weeding and raking up leaves, enlisting help f rom their wider family. Roz even fertilised the peach trees in the walled vegetable garden by hand with a
paint brush. They soon learnt that despite its location close to the sea, the garden is relatively sheltered and the soil is free draining.
Three years ago they added the first floor orangery overlooking the garden to the rear of the house. ‘We felt separated from the garden and wanted to interact with it,’ Roz explains. Now they can look into the garden year round, planning planting schemes in the winter, watching the tulips in spring and enjoying the generous herbaceous plantings in summer.
From this elevated position there is an excellent view down the formal, terraced garden backed with a traditional East Lothian red sandstone wall smothered with honeysuckle, clematis, roses and Chaenomeles speciosa ‘Nivalis’ – flowering quince.
Height comes from the avenue of metal arches, covered in pale pink Rosa New Dawn, underplanted in Maytime, Angelique and Alibi tulips and ivory coloured wallflowers that span the central flagstone path. Below the wall is a generous herbaceous border punctuated with box balls and topiary bay trees. On the far side of the path a curved lawn is backed by informal plantings of trees and shrubs.
Eight years ago they were joined by gardener Shirley Clark, who works at Belhaven House four days a week. Under Shirley’s influence Roz developed a love for the subtle greens and
greys of foliage plants that are now her keynote
plants. ‘I especially love the bountiful Helleborus argutifolius, Cerinthe purpurea, Euphorbia
oblongata, Bells of Ireland and Solomon Seal.’ A short time after acquiring the house the Bruneaus also bought the cottage next door where they established the first Pumpkin Patch Nursery. They also joined the cottage’s garden with that of Belhaven House so the children at the nursery can enjoy both gardens.
Although Rebecca, the previous owner, designed the classical box-edged beds in the kitchen garden, Roz and Jon have recently added the richly coloured peony border. There is also a herb border, several cutting beds, a soft fruit cage and a square devoted to vegetables.
The informal, sloping woodland garden is best reached via a flight of stone steps that rise up behind the sunny terrace where the couple enjoyed that first glass of wine. Here, mown paths wander through tall grass speckled with cow parsley to the top of the hill where a smoky blue summerhouse enjoys views over the Bass Rock.
The garden also has the ideal habitat for hedgehogs, explains Roz. ‘This is very much a classical garden but one of the things I love about it is that there are pockets that are still wild.’