Scottish botanical artists of recent fame include the late Mary McMurtrie from Aberdeenshire, Liz Cameron from the Black Isle and the Lady Emma Tennant from Roxburghshire, all of whom have created beautiful gardens around their houses and used the flowers as inspiration for their work. Another is Ann Fraser, who is quick to point out that the garden at Shepherd House, outside Edinburgh, is very much a joint venture between herself and her husband Sir Charles.

Ann describes the creation of the garden as it is presently as ‘a 15-year learning curve’ that has evolved after much discussion and enjoyable hard work. The garden is an irregular triangle, but with a clever use of vistas and formal layouts, the first impression is one of pleasing symmetry. Outside the conservatory is a knot garden made with clipped rosemary, santonlina and box. Steps lead up through a low wall, which is home to a pretty collection of alpines enjoying the good drainage and warmth of the stones. These lead you to a rectangular stone pond with a fountain where large goldfish hide amongst the water lilies. This pond is linked by a narrow rill to a smaller, raised stone pond with cascading water jets at the far end of a rose tunnel.

From the bright sunshine of the first lawn and pond you follow the wide grass path and rill under tumbling roses ‘Rambling Rector’, ‘Wedding Day’ and ‘Seagull’, getting glimpses of further garden rooms to each side before plunging into a cool, green, shady area. Ferns, hostas and other shade-loving plants create a green jungle here and, as you look back towards the first pond, the rill

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