Findrack sits at the head of an Aberdeenshire glen overlooking the Dee Valley, with a view of Cairn o’Mount in the distance. The house, parts of which were built in the 1700s, is approached along a tree-lined avenue, which opens up into a circular drive to the east side. Gardening so far north at a height of 700ft presents challenges: winters are long and there is usually plenty of snow, but the south facing garden’s position in the glen is relatively sheltered.

Angelica Salvesen came to Findrack 26 years ago, four years after her husband Andrew, to find a garden that was desolate and neglected. ‘There was just grass everywhere,’ she says. For the first sixteen years she was busy bringing up the couple’s three children, two sons and a daughter, and only had time to do ‘a few things’ in the sloping walled garden to the west of the house. But during those years she thought about the garden, ‘planning and plotting, absorbing ideas of visiting friends and learning by osmosis.’

Things changed eleven years ago when a rabbit and deer proof fence was installed to protect the garden and the surrounding woods. About that time gardener Brian Sinclair, formerly a NTS gardener at the House of Duns, came to Findrack. Progress since then has been ‘gradual,’ starting with the building of two wide terraces on the west and south sides of the house. The first opens up from the kitchen and has plenty of room for summer dining and entertaining. Here, in this plant filled space where alpines pour out of cracks between paving stones and pelargoniums spill over the side of containers, the focal point is a raised octagonal pond. Designed by landscape architect Michael Balston, it is planted with lilies and iris. At the same time Michael designed the classical wooden arbour, painted in a soft blue grey, set in the beech hedge at the top of the steps leading to the walled garden.

Shape and colour

From here the terrace extends from the side of the house where it is planted with low growing Prunus lusitanica and espaliered P.thibetica. In front of the house the terrace is laid with paving stones edged with a strip of mown grass punctuated with box and backed with a vibrant border packed with magenta coloured Geranium palmatum. A flight of stone steps leads down to a wide lawn, left open so the children could play ball games. Angelica explains: ‘Michael suggested we build an Amphitheatre at the foot of the slope. I still think it is a good idea and we may do it at some point.’ Meanwhile the recently laid out stream garden, fed with a natural burn that runs into a wildlife pond at the foot of the hill, expands further into the lawn every year. The scheme of small, delicate plants such as Himalayan poppies, yellow and orange Primula florindae and trollius are off set by groupings of majestic Gunnera manicata set to great effect in the lawn.

A woodland garden, fenced off two years ago, is the latest project at Findrack. Here a silt and weed choked Victorian pond crowded with ponticum was opened up to allow for regeneration of ferns and willows. Newly planted trees include native species, such as sorbus, ash, white flowering Prunus padus and birch. Autumn colour comes from Cornus florida and C. sanguinea ‘Winter Flame’, Acer ginnale and Malus tschonoskii. Taller trees include oak and beech. The atmosphere changes in the pinewood that flanks the garden to the west. Carpeted in wood sorrel with sunrays filtering through the closely planted trees, it is an ideal habitat for a small population of red squirrels.

From here the path turns down the hill towards the colour filled ¾ acre walled garden. The walled garden is entered though a wrought iron gate leading to a small raised terrace. The top, east facing, incorporates a rounded doocot, dating from 1676 and still home to a flock of doves. Additional structure comes from an opposing ivy covered building, now used as a garden shed. The raised terrace is useful for displaying container-grown plants, many of which are snapped up at Findrack’s annual opening under Scotland’s Gardens Scheme in July.

Green spaces

From here there is there is a breathtaking view over the former vegetable garden, now transformed into a romantic design of five circular lawns. Four lawns radiate from a central circle backed with a pergola of wooden posts linked by rose covered ropes, while deep pink fragrant Rosa ‘Albertine’ emerges from pools of purple nepeta to smother the poles. Other rambling roses including R. ‘Paul’s Scarlet’ and ‘Rambling Rector’ smother the ropes. The central arbour is also covered in roses. A gravel path bisects the sloping garden and the grass circles are backed with deep borders packed with tall drifts of delphinium, peonies and phlox set against hostas and grasses. Angelica explains that the different conditions in the walled garden dictated the planting scheme. ‘I started out with spring flowers backing one circle but soon learnt to place plants where they did best.’ Plans for hot and cool borders were abandoned when the plants proved unsuitable for the conditions, and pinks and deep reds with touches of blue and white now dominate the scheme.

The vegetable garden was moved to a wedge shaped space above the walled garden, where small beds enable crops to be easily rotated. Here a selection of hybrid tea roses, including ‘Golden Jubilee’, line the central path and ramble over the metal arches. There are plenty of sweet peas for picking. The varied garden at Findrack successfully combines elements of contemporary design with traditional planting while remaining in perfect harmony with the surrounding landscape. ‘We didn’t really plan the garden, it just flowed naturally,’ Angelica says. ‘At every stage we do what seems best suited to the land.’

fieldfacts

Findrack, Torphins AB31 4LB is open on Sunday 5th July 2-5pm under Scotland’s Gardens Scheme.

Directions: Leave Torphins on A 980 to Lumphanan, after ½ mile turn off sign posted Tornaveen. Stone gateway 1 mile up on left. Admission £3.50 Chidren and OAPs £1.00. Plant sale features plants grown at Findtrack.

www. gardensofscotland.org

Landscape architect Michael Balston helped Angelica with planning. www.balston.co.uk