Garden of the week

ATTADALE GARDENS STRATHCARRON, ROSS-SHIRE IV54 8YX

Visiting Attadale Gardens at this time of year allows visitors to enjoy its structures and views from one section to the next. Designed by the late Nicky Macpherson, who was a painter by training, it has been laid out for people to enjoy the views down Loch Carron and beyond, to the Cuillins on Skye. The Gulf Stream enables tender plants to flourish here.

As a participant in the Scottish Snowdrop Festival, throughout February there are snowdrops to be enjoyed in various parts of the garden, including spring snowflakes kindly supplied by experts from Cambo Gardens in Fife. The gardeners are hard at work preparing for the main open season from April 1, but already spring is making itself felt. Attadale is famous for its old and long-established rhododendrons and already early rhododendrons are in bloom as a precursor of the many more to come. Visitors can wander through the water gardens and enjoy the views of the old house through the trees. More than 1,000 trees were planted in the early ’90s to replace the many ancient Scots pines that had been blown down by a succession of storms. This has created opportunities for the garden; the large holes left by the fallen trees’ roots filled up with black peaty water, so the idea of a water garden was born. Sculptures have also been thoughtfully placed throughout the garden, encouraging visitors to pause and appreciate their position. Some are almost hidden but a map listing them encourages adults and children to explore.

There are also lovely hellebores blooming at the front of the house, in the protected microclimate created by the white walls, which encourage them to flourish. Erythroniums are already peeking out, so a wander round at this time of year offers more than just snowdrops.

Website: www.attadalegardens.com Telephone: 01520 722603

Opening times: February 28, 2pm, snowdrop tour; open daily from April 1 to end of October, 10am-5.30pm

Admission costs: £8 adults, £6 seniors, £1 children

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