Dunskey Gardens

Lying on the Dunsey Estate a mile (1.5 km) north of Portpatrick in Dumfries and Galloway, the gardens comprise a combination of walled and woodland garden which are open to the public. The Walled Garden was constructed in the 18th C. to provide fresh vegetables and fruit to the original Dunskey House, with a range of glasshouses added by MacKenzie and Moncur in the 19th C. Having fallen into disrepair, the garden was restored in the late 1990s.

The woodland garden features a carpet of snowdrops in the spring, which gives way to bluebells, primula and rhodedendrons in the early summer.

Amongst a growing plant collection, which extends to more than 1000 varieties, are roses and herbaceous borders, with delicate exotics and fruit (grapes, nectarines and peaches) in the greenhouses. Of particular importance are the shrubs Clianthus and Sutherlandia, which form the basis of a national collection.

A maze has been added, which is thought to represent the first hedge maze to be planted in SW Scotland.

Use the tabs on the right of this page to see other parts of this entry