Gardens: Ardkinglas offers stunning views and exotic shrubs

In front of Ardkinglas House, the Edwardian mansion designed by Robert Lorimer to complement the dramatic Highland setting of Glen Kinglas, a trio of formal grass terraces linked by stone steps sweep down to the shores of Loch Fyne. To the north, an elegant 18th-century landscape encloses Caspian, an ornamental lake, with still, peaty waters surrounded by trees and rhododendrons.

Laid out so close together these two gardens offer a striking contrast and a unique glimpse of the depth of Scottish garden history. Although many of the same plants, such as rhododendrons, azaleas, conifers and deciduous trees and ground cover plants have been used in both gardens, the varied settings makes them look quite different – for example azaleas are threaded throughout the woodland garden, while in the house garden they are grouped together in one glorious mass of oranges, pinks and reds in a large bed outside the walled garden.

Built in 1906 during an incredibly short time span of 18 months, Ardkinglas is widely considered to be one of Lorimer's finest constructions.

Commissioned by Sir Andrew Noble, the armaments pioneer, with the brief: "nothing but the best and hang the expense" the house, built near the site of an older property, was originally intended as a holiday home or shooting lodge.

Now, a century later, it is the family home of Sir Andrew's great great grandson, architect David Sumsion, 51, who inherited the house in 2002 having learnt to love the garden as a child. "I spent a lot of holiday time helping my grandmother with winter bonfires and summer fruit and vegetable picking.

"She put a huge amount of work into keeping the garden going, and inspired many others with a great love for the place," he says.

Elizabeth and her husband, John Noble, were the first members of the family to set up home at Ardkinglas; during the Second World War they opened the house to many evacuees decanted from Glasgow.

Approached by a drive that winds through policies of mature trees and past fields, Ardkinglas faces west in a raised position above the sea loch. The wide variety of planting, including bluebells in the woodlands above and to the side of the house, an echo of the bluebells in the woodland garden, ensures a glow of background colour in spring.

"The most enjoyable aspect of the garden for me is the contrast of the open view down Loch Fyne to the west, with its ever changing skies compared with the surprises and mystery of the extraordinary variety of enclosed spaces and paths within the older part of the garden," says David.

Admitting his knowledge of plants is limited but that he is "particularly keen on roses, trees and their pruning," David says that his first task involved removing inappropriate shrubs from around the terraces, clearing wild azaleas from among the cultivated varieties, felling some trees and pruning others.

"Most of the effort in managing a garden in this part of Argyll can be summarised as 'jungle control' as things self-seed and grow very fast if left to their own devices."

Shortly thereafter he began planting around the mermaid fountain, which sits a short distance south of the house, hidden behind a circular hedge; just one of the surprises that reveal themselves as you explore the landscape. "We put in lavender, rosemary and additional roses around the statue," he says. The plantings of roses on the upper terrace just below the house have also been refreshed.

Walking north you reach the Caspian Lake with a generous path circling the water where large groups of water lilies produce their magical display in the summer months. Here the fresh textures and sharp colours of young foliage reflect in the quiet pool doubling the effect and creating a romantic atmosphere; it comes as no surprise to learn the gardens earn part of their keep as a wedding venue and film set.

Sited to the east the 200-year-old walled garden emerges unexpectedly from the surrounding trees. Grassed over for the past 20 years, this sheltered space is home to David's collection of fruit trees. Adding that his hope is that they can continue to re-point the remarkable masonry in the walls, he says: "My main effort has been in planting a new orchard.

"I gradually add about a dozen trees each year, mostly Victoria plums, but also other plums, greengages, apples and pears."

Much work continues in the azalea bed just outside the walled garden where the splash of colour of massed plantings of species of rhododendrons or azaleas is only partly dimmed by encroaching weeds that rapidly turned into small trees or the wrong kind of shrub, threatening the integrity of the scheme.

No garden of this size would be complete without some vegetables; at Ardkinglas these are grown in an easily accessible spot in front of the house. "We try to keep up a small fruit and vegetable patch in the field in front of the house – we've had very good globe artichokes but they've fallen victim to this hard winter," says David.

This hidden gem of a garden is run on a relatively tight budget, yet it benefits from the enthusiasm injected by the Sumsion family and their staff including skilled manager Glyn Toplis, who also runs the renowned Ardkinglas plant nursery, supplying wholesale to the Tree Shop at Cairndow and other outlets.

Besides the ongoing "jungle control" that David refers to with a slight note of desperation, future plans for this remarkable place include installing a "seasonal" marquee site with improved access. "This will allow us to increase the number of weddings and other events taking place in the garden," says David.

Ardkinglas Woodland Garden is open all year until dusk with an honesty box. Ardkinglas, Cairndow, Argyll, PA26 8BG, 01499 600 261, www.ardkinglas.com

This article was first published in The Scotsman on Saturday, May 1, 2010