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As you stroll along meandering paths with fairly dense vegetation, you feel as if you’re on a journey around the world, with plants from different continents awaiting you round every corner.
A kaleidoscope of colour
The first impression of this part of the garden is of semi-formal informality! Well-maintained paths weave through borders bursting with colour and foliage. In spring, the beds are ablaze with the bright yellow of azaleas and primulas, whilst daffodils fill the lawn. The Long Border runs all the way from the entrance deep into the garden.
Once the rhododendrons finish, the rest of the garden springs into life including the (unusual) deep blue hydrangeas.
By summer, you cannot miss the enormous daisy bush (Olearia) from New Zealand – a favourite of visitors and pollinators alike. It stands on what was once a tennis court. It also really does not like frost, and so is very happy in the mild climate of Arduaine.
As you head into the upper garden, peek into the stone well by the rockery to catch a glimpse of Tropaeolum speciosum, a beautiful red-flowered climbing plant from Chile – but please leave any donations in our box at the kiosk rather than throwing them into the well!
The ponds
In the 1930s a series of ponds were created, kept watertight by the naturally occurring clay. They are spring-fed and have lovely clean water. One of our oldest plants watches over these ponds: the scaly male-fern (Dryopteris affinis) may be around 1,000 years old. It is perhaps most beautiful in spring, when its golden fronds unfold in the sunshine.
Our ornamental heron is one of the most photographed features of the garden, surrounded by numerous water lilies and beautiful irises. When you stand on the bridge by this pond, you can look up to the bare hilltop and get a sense of how this peninsula would have looked before the garden was developed. As you head towards the coastal viewpoint, look out for our Cornus kousa, with its gorgeous white/pink bracts in spring and edible fruits at their prime in August.
The Weinmannia from South America is another example of the Arduaine effect, where it has grown larger than many other specimens due to the perfect growing conditions here. The dense canopy formed by the previous larch woodland forced it to grow super tall, to reach the sunlight!
Map of the garden
