It is truly a privilege to inherit such a lovely garden’ says Ann Price, paying generous tribute to her husband Athel’s uncle, the much respected plantsman Douglas Hutchison, doyen of Scottish gardens for many years, during which he continually developed his parents’ 1920s garden. Just west of Aberfeldy, Bolfracks Estate was originally a Menzies property and their now empty castle stands proud across the valley. The estate was bought by the Campbells of Breadalbane in 1806 and in 1838 John Gillespie Graham (architect of Taymouth Castle) added a Gothic facade to the original farmhouse and an ornamental garden was laid out. At first glance this famous garden, set on sloping hillside above the River Tay, seems relatively unchanged, but look again.... it is already subtly different, more glamorous perhaps. For the last five years Ann has been quietly achieving that most difficult thing – to respect the legacy of a well-known garden whilst tactfully modernising.

When Athel and Ann moved into the house in 2002, Bolfracks was essentially a bachelor’s garden and typical of that era – narrow Jekyllian paths and herbaceous borders shadowed by gloomy overgrown conifers. Not wanting to disturb the overall picture Ann was baffled as to how the garden was going to work for them as a family. She couldn’t see a picture in her mind. There was also a worrying downside to their garden inheritance – its northern aspect meant no sun whatsoever on house or garden from mid- November to mid-February, plus a heavy annual rainfall of 42 inches. Not easy, but somehow she had to make it more user friendly and manageable without rocking such a venerable boat. Everything miraculously fell into place, however, the moment fourteen 120 ft western hemlock were felled. Suddenly the most wonderful vistas opened up across the valley and the garden began to smile as sunlight flooded in. Widening the paths also made a huge but subtle change to the whole look of the garden – it was very exciting! Inspired by this overnight transformation, Ann recruited hands-on garden advisor Alie Petrie. Together they began on their four ‘R’s – Remove, Rescue, Renovate and Restock – all of which they continue to do, mostly using Binnys Garden Plants, Kevock Nurseries and Peter Beale Roses. Here a fifth R came into the equation – what to Retain. This wasn’t too difficult: Bolfracks came with some historic, romantic and quirky features.

Most significant was an 18th century mausoleum marking the ancient burial ground of the Menzies family, most picturesque was a 1920s wood mosaic Wendy House laid out with an adorable Peter Rabbit tea party and, certainly the most quirky, a collection of 19th century German stone gnomes Above, clockwise from top left: The Long Walk, lined with roses; Peony beds, outside the pink hedged garden rooms; Doorway to the main lawn; The Rose Garden; A rugosa rose. Right, clockwise from top left: The Sundial Garden looks down over the Tay; The Mausoleum; Espaliered apple; Foxglove; The doorway into the West Border. liberally scattered where you least expect them. At the entrance pavilion at the foot of the garden there is a selection of pamphlets, a tempting plant stall and a very helpful illustrated map of the garden by Philippa Foster. From here the garden stretches in a giant 4 acre square up the hill, crossed horizontally by paths which divide the three main areas.

We start off through the Burn Garden where Uncle Douglas planted a traditional Spring mix of waterside plants, flowering shrubs and ornamental trees. One particular star is worth noting – the gorgeous Rhododendron ‘Elizabeth Lockhart’ with its dark ruby leaves and stunning red flowers. Ann has augmented the densely planted daffodils and primulas in this area and along the drives with no less than 15,000 new bulbs from Peter Nyssen – cyclamen, crocus, colchicum, grape hyacinths, fritillerias, chionodoxa, narcissi, erythroniums, trilliums, camassias and also her favourite hellebores. An excellent ground cover plant thrives here, Shortia soldanelloides, with small glossy copper-tinged leaves and deep pink flowers. The path winds upwards along the burn – a source of much pain to Ann, choked as it is with self-seeded indestructible ferns. To the left flourishes a good collection of celmesias (a lovely Mediterranean looking plant with spiky grey leaves and big white daisy flowers), to the right an old pool is newly planted with grasses and more ‘spikies’ to reflect in the water – crocosmia, irises, kniphofia, underplanted with bulbs.

Winding down through the Mausoleum Garden, with its lovely specimen trees and magnolias, you can really appreciate the panoramic view before entering the Long Walk – a narrow path which runs right along the top of the garden under arches clad alternately with clematis and roses ‘New Dawn’, ‘American Pillar’, ‘Cedric Morris’ and banksia ‘Lutea’. On the right of the path Ann has cleverly continued the theme with huge clumps of old Scottish roses supported in wooden frames – pimpinellifolias ‘Dunwich’, ‘Single Cherry’, ‘Mary Queen of Scots’, ‘Glory of Edzell’, ‘Falkland’ and ‘Stanwell Perpetual’, which apparently never stops flowering. On the left of the path ancient espaliered fruit trees mark the top boundary of three garden rooms with herbaceous planting backed by Prunus cerasifera ‘Pissardii’ hedges. Parallel to the top path runs the central path, with four eyecatching peony beds flanking the entrances to the garden rooms.

These wonderful blowsy flowers are underplanted in spring with shocking pink Tulipa ‘Christmas Dream’ and in autumn with Japanese anemone ‘Honorine Jobert’ and ‘Konigin Charlotte’. A long herbaceous border below is currently the subject of close and critical scrutiny. The lowest part of the garden – the Walled Garden – is Ann’s biggest challenge. Being a self-confessed ‘summer person’, she welcomes the chance to redesign the rather overgrown borders. Athel is an expert forester and a sorbus collection has now been planted. Other areas are being dramatically altered in shape, size and plant content with the invaluable help of Gordon Smith, who has been at Bolfracks for 24 years. As much as 100 feet at a time are being removed and revamped with repeat block plantings of hardy workers such as campanulas, phlox, delphiniums, eupatorium and centaurea. Straight has become oval.

Only a few favourites survive the death knell. Her roses are Ann’s pride and joy and she has continued this theme along the bottom of the garden, this time with big generous blocks of Rosa rugosa – ‘Fru Dagmar Hastrup’, ‘Scabrosa’, ‘Alba Maxima’, and ‘Blanc Double de Coubert’ – doubly rewarding with their big bold hips adding colour in the autumn. Ann’s advice? ‘Be brave and do it!’ Although she does temper this by recommending that it is well worth getting in a professional team to do the heavy work which would take you ages by yourself. Ann and Athel deserve to take enormous pride in the way they have undertaken the sensitive process of preserving the past and fulfilling the future. Uncle Douglas would definitely approve.

Field Facts Location: Signed 2m west of Aberfeldy on the A827. Open daily 10.00 – 6.00 from April 1st to October 30th. Entrance £4 to Scotland’s Gardens Scheme Alie Petrie at Rhyme & Reason – www.plantclip.com