A tour of the designed landscape and walled garden at Cambo Estate

Katherine welcomed us to the walled garden at Cambo, explaining that she had first become involved as a volunteer some 14 years ago.  She informed us that a team of five full time equivalent staff tends the gardens along with volunteer gardeners.  Our tour started at the north entrance and led to one of two ornamental bridges which cross the burn dissecting the walled garden.  Katherine explained that the areas previously maintained as a grass lawn had been allowed to grow long, and that the diversity of wild flora within the grass sward had been encouraged through the seeding of the semi-hemi-parasitical plant Yellow Rattle, which weakens the grasses.  We were led along a path leading to a Lutyens bench seat with a playful sculpture of children cartwheeling along the top of the boundary wall, passing the footing of a ‘lost’ Vine House along the way.  Here we marvelled at a perennial border planted up with varieties of Persicaria, Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’, Miscanthus and Aster which was at its best at this time of year, with the plants in full flower and the seed heads of the various ornamental grasses swaying in the breeze.  Katherine explained that the border was a legacy of former Head Gardener Elliot Forsyth, who is well known for his naturalistic planting schemes, championed by plantsman Piet Oudolf.  Katherine explained that there were other delights within the walled garden and led us along the fruit tree walk.

Our guided walk led to the east wall of the walled gardens where we admired the Dahlia bed, Crinodendron or Chilean lantern tree, before being led through a gate into an enclosed section of the walled garden which houses the compost beds.  Here we were treated to an expansive view across barley fields to the coast and the sea.

Our guided walk then continued along the south wall. Katherine explained that  the north-facing bed is not being tended at present owing to a pronounced bulge in the wall at that point .  Katherine pointed out the recently planted woodland border which is part of a recent collaboration between Katherine and former Cambo gardener Duncan Hall who has prepared an eight to ten year masterplan to refresh the walled garden.  The masterplan involves improving path networks and emptying out and redesigning borders, whilst tackling the pernicious weeds.  A series of themed planting zones will be introduced, together with a wider range of shrubs and trees.  Our tour of the walled garden concluded at the Sundial Garden, where the 1802 sundial plinth has been relocated.  The relocation of the sundial and replanting of the Sundial Garden has been generously funded by The Mushroom Trust and Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust.

Next, we headed to the Edible Garden, where much of the produce is grown for use in the Visitor Centre café. We then visited the Glasshouse which replaced the earlier wooden glasshouse and is constructed from steel, making it significantly easier to maintain.  Our comprehensive guided tour concluded in the North American Prairie Garden.  Albeit small in comparison to its native counterpart, the North American Prairie garden at Cambo is still an immersive experience, especially during late summer and early autumn when the combinations of perennial plants and ornamental grasses are literally at their height.

Thanks to SGLH Secretary and Treasurer Bob Luther for allowing us to publish his photographs.