Accolade for Castle of Mey gardens
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THE gardens at the Castle of Mey have received "a great accolade" after being named among the finest in the world in a new book.
They are the only ones in Scotland be featured in The Royal Gardens of the World, by Mark Lane, the respected radio and television broadcaster who presents a number of programmes including the BBC's award-winning Gardeners’ World.
His book highlights 21 of the best royal gardens across the globe and includes those at the Castle of Mey – the former residence of the late Queen Mother – along with such celebrated names as Versailles in France and Highgrove House in Gloucestershire, which is the family residence of the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall.
Lane takes the reader on a journey from the far north of Scotland to other royal gardens in the UK, including Highgrove, and on to Europe and the splendour of places such as France's Fontainebleau and Versailles and the Peterhof Palace in Russia. Further afield he includes the Taj Mahal in India.
Each featured entry has some of the history and evolution of the garden, plant portraits of key specimens and information about the design and layout. Other countries included are Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Bali and Japan.
Shirley Farquhar, managing director of the Queen Elizabeth Castle of Mey Trust, described the inclusion of the gardens in the book as "fantastic news".
She said: "We are delighted to be included in this wonderful book, which recognises the great effort and dedication of our small garden team. Gardening in the north of Scotland brings many challenges, such as the wet climate and strong winds.
"However, we are very fortunate the Great Wall of Mey affords much needed shelter."
She added: "It is an honour to be included alongside the other amazing gardens worldwide, and to be the only Scottish garden represented within the book is a great accolade."
The Castle of Mey has had a royal connection since 1952, when Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother saw what was then known as Barrogill Castle while staying with Commander and Lady Doris Vyner at the nearby House of the Northern Gate at Dunnet Head. Despite its poor condition, Her Majesty purchased the castle that year and set about renovating and restoring it, the gardens and parklands, which extended to about 30 acres. She also restored the castle's original name, changing Barrogill Castle back to the Castle of Mey.
Lane, who was born with spina bifida, is the first recognised UK garden designer to use a wheelchair.
He is a prolific writer and has contributed to BBC Gardeners’ World magazine, the Royal Horticultural Society’s journal The Garden and Which? Gardening.
The Royal Gardens of the World has 240 pages and costs £35 in hardback. It is published by the Octopus Publishing Group.
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