As Claude Monet said, ‘My garden is my most beautiful masterpiece’. For many people, it is their garden that makes their home. It is a place to lose yourself on a summer evening; it is a place for children to grow up, protected yet independent, and it is a familiar view to welcome you first thing every morning when you glance out of your window. It can indeed often be the selling point of a home for buyers, yet a property with that perfect garden space can be hard to come across. In this issue we feature four very different homes for which this common attribute is no problem at all.

28 Barnton Avenue West, Barnton, Edinburgh

This delightful detached family home is an inspiring find for those looking for a central home with a large garden. Situated within the popular residential area of Barnton, just 5 miles west of the city centre, it offers plenty of living space with a kitchen/breakfast room, dining room, drawing room, and five bedrooms. With all reception rooms orientated towards the large south-facing garden, this spacious house makes the most of the prominent light. The garden is completely private, offering a secure and peaceful haven with entrances leading directly from the house from the drawing room and dining room.

Boddam, Finzean, Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire

This extended period home, already blessed with a wonderfully private location, has the added enticement of a magically landscaped, large country garden. With 1.3 acres in total, the area comprises mainly lawn with mature trees, herbaceous borders and perennial flowerbeds, with an elevated summerhouse to take it all in. If you can drag yourself inside, a beautifully maintained home awaits. Complete with drawing room, dining room, snug, study, dining kitchen and four bedrooms, the house is perfectly proportioned and in excellent condition. With breathtaking views across the Howe of Finzean, this property is a rare addition to the property market.

Arnot Tower, Scotlandwell, Kinross-shire

With the sweeping views across Loch Leven, it would be easy to forget the grounds of this wonderful Victorian country house. However, the current owners have maximised the house’s potential by creating magnificent formal gardens. Built in 1878 by a descendant of William the Bruce, the house has been sensitively upgraded with a balance of traditional and contemporary touches. Comprising a drawing room, dining room, sitting room, study, breakfast kitchen, and seven bedrooms, this makes a perfect home for entertaining and family living. In an outstandingly peaceful location, it is only a 30 mile commute to Edinburgh. The grounds also include a paddock with stabling, a Victorian kitchen garden and a games lawn.

Oldfield, Westruther

Situated in an area famed for its scenic beauty, this superbly modern house boasts extensive landscaped land with open views onto the surrounding idyllic countryside. A particularly light and airy property, it is currently letting very successfully via a National Holiday agency for parties of up to twelve. There are four public rooms, six bedrooms, a kitchen, two bathrooms, a utility room and games room providing ample space, which although well-placed for commuting to Edinburgh and the border’s towns makes working from home an appealing prospect. With a primary school, shops, pubs and a church only seven miles away in nearby Lauder, this property makes for attractive country living

field facts

28 Barnton Avenue West, Barnton, Edinburgh Guide Price £1.2million Rettie Residential, 0131 220 4159, www.rettie.co.uk

Boddam, Finzean, Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire Fixed Price £675,000 Strutt & Parker, 01330 826800 www. struttandparker.com

Arnot Tower, Scotlandwell, Kinrossshire Offers Over £950,000 Strutt & Parker, 0131 226 2500 www. struttandparker.com

Oldfield, Westruther Fixed Price £625,000 Buccleuch John Sale, 01896 754842 www.johnsale.co.uk