WALLED GARDEN
Our six-acre walled garden in its present form dates from the mid-18th century, with vented walls originally designed by Walter Nicol to be heated for stone fruit, the remains of a neo-classical orangery and a spectacular pair of seventeenth century Italian wrought iron gates bought in 1904 and restored by Mihai Cocris in 2000.
At barely 50 feet above sea level with an annual rainfall of circa 23 inches, the south facing ground around Wemyss Castle has proved an interesting and challenging site for the establishment of a garden. The proximity of the Forth estuary and exposure to winter winds from the East bring with them a low incidence of frost but a persistent challenge from salt-laden gales.
Having lain redundant for decades, Charlotte and Michael Wemyss have brought the walled garden back to life with new landscaping and planting throughout. There is now a formal garden which leads via various archways and paths into the Wild Garden which hosts many interesting and varied specie trees, Scottish Roses and a multitude of Spring bulbs.
The surrounding walls of the entire garden are clothed in early May with a large collection of Montana
Clematis. Throughout the garden as a whole there is always an intoxicating scent, constant birdsong and the ever-present sound of the sea.
Since 1994 the garden has evolved to become a spectacular celebration of spring and summer. Avenues and borders aching with flowers are punctuated with sculpture and architecture, drawing this vast area into a series of intimate spaces.
