Malleny Garden comprises around 4 hectares of gardens in total, with 1.5 hectares making up the formal walled garden. It has been laid out in the Dutch style, popular in Scotland in the late 17th century.
Entrance porch
The small wrought-iron gate at the entrance to the garden bears the Gore Browne Henderson crest, added by the family who donated the garden to the Trust in 19XX. If you look carefully at the balustrade, you will also see the Rosebery crest – this family owned the garden in the XXXXs.
The Four Evangelists
One of the first things you will notice upon entering the garden is the group of four large yew trees, just by the main gate. This 30ft (9m) high trees are thought to have been plamted in the 17th centyry, to marke the Union of the Crowns. Originally there were 12 in total (for the 12 Apostles), scattered in groups by the house, but 8 were removed in the 1960s by previous owners of the garden. The trees are clipped every other year, using a hydraulic lift to reach their tops.
The walled garden
The main garden is almost halved by a significant yew hedge. In the top half (between the gate and hedge) little has changed design-wise in the last 100 years. Wide, mixed borders are filled with many unusual and bautofully scented herbaceious perennials and shrubs, as well as an outstanding collection of roses. Malleny has perhaps the largest collection fo roses in Scotland and holds the National Collection of 19th-century shrub roses.
There is always something in flower, no matter the time of year – from snowdrops and winter aconites in January, to the glorious roses in midsummer, and then the beautiful Viburnum fragrans in December. The north-facing aspect of the garden does make it susceptible to frosts – spring comes a little later here than 5 miles down the road!
Beyond the hedge lies a vegetable garden and a large lawn, which was once used for playing tennis and croquet despite its significant slope!
Victorian glasshouses
During the summer, the larger glasshouse is filled with a colourful dislay of pelargoniums and fuchsias, whilst a Black Hamburg grapevine provides dappled shade.
the smaller glasshouse has a simple but unusual mechanism that raises a large part of the roof ridge to rpvide ventilation. This glasshouse is used for propagation and to provide shelter for more tender plants during the winter.