Cloud-pruning and pops of colour make this sheltered Scottish garden as pretty as a picture
Gardener Derek and Angela Townsley
Location Pinetrees Cottage, Aberdeenshire
Size 3/4 acre
Soil Shallow acidic soil over broken rock
Been in garden Since 1994
Open July 20-21, 2pm- 5pm, with neighbouring Whin Cottage, £6.
Also by appointment June-July 2024. See scotlandsgardens.org and search Banchory Devenick
With its shapely shrubs, cloud-pruned trees and topiary, this verdant hilltop garden near Aberdeen is full of foliage texture and colour. It was created from scratch over the last 30 years and enjoys wide open views – and the bracing winds that come with them!
“Ours is a challenging site,” explains owner Angela Townsley, who lives here with her husband Derek. “We’re high up a hill with a pine forest to the north, open fields to the south and the garden is exposed to the wind from all directions. Over the years we’ve planted it fully in the hope the plants help to protect each other in time.”
The couple bought the land from a farmer, with just an old, derelict bothy on site and cows grazing nearby. “We had plenty of manure but no flowers or shrubs,” says Angela. “There was one overgrown hedge and two large beech trees; everything else was long gone. The building was in such poor condition we had to demolish it, then use the old stone to face the new house.” Fortunately, Derek is the director of a construction firm, so building the new house, retaining walls, paths and terraces was all part of the plan.
One of their first projects was to create a fish pond for their 40-strong collection of carp, tench and rudd. “We were still living in our previous home just a mile down the hill,” said Angela. “So once the pond was finished, we transported the fish up here in containers. They adapted well, but the local heron kept taking them. Eventually, we created a second pond inside a polytunnel for their protection. We have some that are now about 30 years old.”
Once the house was built, the rest of the garden was fitted around the pond. Today th
