Crathes Castle, Garden and Estate

About the garden

Crathes is famous for its walled garden, which began as a kitchen garden and was later developed into a flower garden in the early 20th century. The 3.75 acres are divided into eight distinct gardens, each with its own character. These include a white border, the Gold Garden, the blue and pink border, double herbaceous, fountain or blue garden, rose garden and upper pool garden.     

The garden is densely planted to provide colour year-round. It features an extensive collection of rare and interesting trees and shrubs collected by Sir James Burnett, along with numerous summer-flowering shrubs such as Philadelphus and Deutzia. Early season interest comes from an impressive display of spring bulbs and woodland plants from around the world, while early to late summer brings extensive plantings of tender perennials. The estate grounds also showcase a diverse tree collection, from rare conifer to native Sorbus.