At home with the Arbuthnott House garden

GARDENS that retain their appeal in the short dark days of winter are rare.

At a time when herbaceous borders lie empty and trees are bare, only gardens with good structure and form remain interesting. One garden that has structure in spades is the ancient garden at Arbuthnott House, Kincardineshire. The home of Lord Arbuthnott whose family have lived here since 1190, the garden now run by his son Keith boasts an established layout of three main broadwalks connected by diagonal paths and punctuated with topiary shapes and conifers. So imposing are these evergreen shapes that they stand out clear on the dullest of winter days.

Built from 1420, Arbuthnott House sits at the foot of a driveway that runs down the side of a glen and across a striking arched stone bridge over the River Bervie. Embellished with balustrades and raised urns, the bridge was commissioned by the 8th Viscount; a building project, Keith explains, "that just about bankrupted the family". Surprisingly, this situation had benefits. "The building also included other projects such as rebuilding the front elevation of the house. It meant there was no money left for the next generations to impose any unnecessary Victorian additions." Indeed, one of the few extravagances of that era was the planting of trees.

Reputed to be one of the oldest in Scotland, the five-acre garden was laid out in the 17th century and runs down a steep south-facing slope below the house. A small wrought-iron gate opens up into a wide, central grass path edged with tall yew and box shapes alternating with clipped rectangles of Rhododendron ponticum. Halfway down, an imposing 300-year-old Cedar of Lebanon rises up to form a majestic centrepiece. Keith explains: "The garden has evolved throughout the generations. It was laid out in the shape of a Union flag with horizontal and diagonal paths, but you need to use your imagination."

No imagination is needed to recognise the established feel that emanates from this garden, where the topiary theme has remained constant through the generations and is further emphasised by old, tall, rough-barked Wellingtonia and other conifers.

There are plenty of different topiary shapes in the vegetable garden, which is reached by a diagonal path running through triangular beds towards the Victorian glasshouses. Keith, who in addition to running the estate also runs Arbuthnott Wood Pellets, which makes wood pellet fuel (Stovies) from sustainable Scottish forests, explains that the mixed loam soil at the top of the hill "has been cultivated for so long that it is friable. The soil is damper down the hill, but here the conditions are ideal for vegetables and herbaceous borders."

From this vantage point you can see the full extent of the designed landscape laid out in the mid-19th century. On the far side of the hill, the fields below the tree line are defined in scallop shapes edged with curved dry stone walls.

Set against the top wall, which is lined with red brick, the glasshouses contain a dazzling array of plants that lift the spirits on a cold day. Dominated by two tall pink, red and white Camellia japonica plus another younger white camellia set against a background of pelargonium including several fine deep red Lord Bute, the glasshouse also contains a range of streptocarpus and orchids. Along with sweet peas, streptocarpus were a love of the late Lady Arbuthnott, who died recently and who was passionate about the garden. "She always delighted in showing her guests the result of her creative gardening," Keith says.

The grass path that runs in front of the glasshouse takes as its focal point an 18th- century pavilion. In summer it is bound by two generously proportioned flowerbeds: one with herbaceous plants, the other with brightly coloured annuals. Halfway down the west wall a wrought-iron gate, commissioned when Lord Arbuthnott became a Knight of the Thistle, opens up into woodlands. A lower path, bisected with diagonal paths, runs below the Wellingtonia and past a small collection of pink-berried Sorbus vilmorinii.

Astonishingly, this garden is managed by one head gardener, John Cheyne, with occasional outside assistance. "The main job at this time of year involves clipping the hedges, which is all done by hand on ladders. The trick is not to do it too early in the year," John says. The other challenge is maintaining the tall established trees. "It is very difficult to get heavy machinery in, so it all has to be done by hand. But this garden is a wonderful place to be. Generally it is very warm and sheltered here."

Arbuthnott House, Laurencekirk, Kincardineshire AB30 1PA. The garden is open daily 9am to 5pm and the house is open for about ten days a year for guided tours: check the website for details. Holiday cottages are available to rent on the estate, which is three miles from the sea, three miles west of Inverbervie on the B967 between the A90 and A92. (01561 320417, [email protected], www.arbuthnott.co.uk, www.hotstovies.com)

• This article was first published in Scotland on Sunday on 07 February 2010