Cluny House Gardens

Cluny House gardens is in Perthshire Scotland was planted and developed from 1950 by the owners Bobby and Betty Masterton.It is now managed by their daughter Wendy and her husband John Mattingly.

It has many exotic trees and shrubs mixed with native plants to create a unique woodland garden. Many of the woodland plants spread freely under a canopy of rhododendrons, acers, rowans and birches. There are many Tibetan Cherry trees originally from Bhutan. We have one of the trees in our garden which we bought as a seedling from Cluny. The other tree of note is a giant sequoia which is over 130 year old. If you ever wanted to hug a tree this is the one !

 

Cluny is on a hillside and this creates steep paths and steps meandering through the garden.You have to be fairly fit but help is at hand.

The garden is organically cultivated. Copious amounts of leaf mould are made which is spread around the plants after hand weeding. This helps plants to naturalise and spread.

 This is also a red squirrel habitat and they are easy to spot  and seem unconcerned by human visitors.

April is a good month to see the many different woodland bulbs including trilliums and erythroniums. Primulas are in flower and the first shuttlecock ferns are beginning to unfurl. The slightly sinister arisaemas are  coming up in shady corners and mecanopsis are getting ready for their show towards the end of May. Cardiocrinum seedlings at various stages of growth are much in evidence with their large shiny leaves. The seed heads from last year are left to tower above the seedlings.

Come with me for a wander through this woodland paradise......