335 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
October  9,  1902. 
Drumlanrig  Castle. 
Overlooking  the  picturesque  valley  of  the  River  Nith  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  the  village  of  Thornhill,  in  Dumfries¬ 
shire,  stands  the  massive  pile  known  as  Drumlanrig  Castle, 
the  principal  Dumfriesshire  seat  of  the  Duke  of  Buccleuch 
and  Queensberry.  A  stately  building  it  is,  the  embodiment 
of  strength  and  solidity,  and  quite  in  keeping  with  the 
standing  of  the  noble  family  to  which  it  belongs.  Somewhat 
grim  in  some  of  its  aspects,  and  typical  in  its  appearance, 
as  a  writer  once  said,  of  the  feudal  power,  its  sterner 
features  have  of  late  been  softened  by  the  mantling  growths 
of  Ivy  and  of  Ampelopsis  Yeitchi  (Yitis  inconstans),  which 
give  its  sandstone  walls  a  gentler  aspect,  and  seeni  to  typify 
the  beneficent  influences  which  were  exerted  by  recent  and 
present  owners  in  the  district  around.  A  noble  building  it 
is,  and  vast  in  its  dimensions  does  it  appear  as  we  stand 
beneath  it  and  gaze  at  its  many-windowed  walls.  Its 
erection  dates  back  to  the  time  of  the  Douglases,  when 
V  illiam,  the  third  Earl,  and  first  Duke  of  Queensberry,  and 
Lord  High  Treasurer  of  Scotland,  erected  it  on  the  site  of 
an  older  castle,  whose  dungeons  are  said  to  have  been 
retained  for  the  wine  cellars  of  the  new  castle.  In  the  old 
building  James  VI.  of  Scotland  paid  a  visit  to  the  Douglases 
or  Drumlanrig,  and  the  present  castle  was  visited  by  our 
now  reigning  King  in  the  year  1871,  while  other  Royal  and 
distinguished  visitors  have  from  time  to  time  been  enter¬ 
tained  within  its  walls,  both  in  the  time  of  the  Douglases 
and  since  Drumlanrig  came  into  possession  of  the  Scotts  of 
Buccleuch.  .  .  .  .  ......  ,  .  . 
The  architecture  of  Drumlanrig  is  mixed  Grecian  and 
Gothic,  and  has  been  attributed  to  the  designs  of  Inigo 
Jones,  though  considerable  doubt  prevails  on  the  subject. 
•It  is  quadrangular  in  form,  with  an  open  court  in  the  centre, 
•and  a  square  tower,  surmounted  by  ornamental  turrets,  is 
placed  at  each  angle  of  the  building.  The  principal 
entrance  is  at  the  north  front,  and  is  approached  by  a  long 
avenue  of  fine  trees.  tender  the  clock  tower,  the  arms  of 
the  Douglases  appear  in  bold  relief.  The  castle  was  begun 
about  1679,  and  finished  ten  years  afterwards,  though  ifwas 
almost  unoccupied  from  the  accession  of  “Old  Q.”  in  1771 
until  improved  by  the  late  duke  in  1827. 
Interesting  as  are  the  decorations  of  the  interior,  its 
historic  pictures,  and  its  traditional  “  bloody  passage,” 'said 
to  be  paced , nightly  by  the  spirit  of  a  murdered  lady,  our 
concern  is  more  with  the  horticulture  of  Drumlanrig,  and 
thus  we  must  turn  to  the  gardens  and  what  they  contain. 
These  have  for  long  years  been  cared  for  by  men  of  the 
highest  standing  in  the  horticultural  world,  and  one  need 
not  do  more  than  remind  the  younger  and  rising  generation 
of  the  name  and  fame  of  Mr.  David  Thomson,  who  is  now 
enjoying  his  well  earned  retirement  near  Dalkeith.  The 
older  men  well  know  the  position  Drumlanrig  gardens 
occupied  in  his  time.  Ilis  successor,  Mr.  David  Inglis,  had 
no  light;  role  to  fill,  but  that  he  has  done  it  well,  all  who 
see  Drumlanrig  at  the  present  time  will  be  ready  to 
acknowledge. 
The  principal  flower  garden  is  situated  to  the  west  of 
the  castle,  and  at  t.ne  base  of  steep  grass  slopes;  kept  in 
perfect  order  by  the  scythe.  It  is  composed  of  a  number  of 
beds  in  the  grass,  and  so  planted  as  to  be  full  of  flower  at 
the  time  when  the  family  are  in  residence,  which  is  only  for 
a  short  period  in  autumn.  Begonias  and  Violas  are  largely 
grown  in  these  beds,  the  moisture  and  cool  temperature  of 
the  locality  making  these  plants  very  suitable  for  the 
purpose.  Among  the  Violas  most  valued  by  Mr.  Inglis  are 
U  alter  Welsh,  the  best  of  the  yellows  there,  although 
Bullion  is  also  a  great  favourite.  Nellie  is  one  of  the  best 
tbe  whites,  and  Mr.  Inglis  thinks  highly  of  the  newer 
pir  Robert  Pullar,  a  bright,  telling  blue,  which  is  likely  to 
lie  much  used  in  the  future.  Among  the  large  number  of 
others. grown  are  Blue  King,  Duchess  of  Fife,  Lady  Isabel 
Primrose  Dame,  Skylark,  The  Mearns,  and  the  much  prized 
V\  ill i am  Led.  Violetta  is  always  good.  The  annual 
1 1 lump ii  Asteis  are  also  valued.  In  this  flower  garden 
there  is  a  bordering  of  Cotoneaster  in  the  form  of  the  design 
on  the  shawl  worn  by  the  late  duchess  on  her  marriage 
day.  This  is  somewhat  elaborate,  and  is  kept  carefully 
clipped,  with  narrow  gravel  divisions  between  the  various 
portions  of  the  design.  All  these  beds  are  admirably  kept 
by  the  special  staff  for  the  flowei  gardens  at  the  castle.  On 
the  same  side  is  a  pretty  Rose  garden ;  a  favourite  among 
the  Roses  at  Drumlanrig  being  Fellenberg,  which  lasts  in 
bloom  until  an  advanced  period  of  the  season.  There  are 
also  Roses  and  other  climbers  on  the  walls  of  the  terraces. 
On  the  east  side,  what  was  formerly  an  American  garden, 
occupied  by  the  shrubs  usually  found  in  such,  is  now 
partially  planted  with  beds  of  autumn  flowers,  among  the 
most  useful  of  these  being  late  Phloxes,  which  do  admirably 
here,  perennial  Asters,  Rudbeckias,  Violas,  and  Pyrethrum 
uliginosum,  all  useful,  late  in  the  year.  In  the  vicinity  of 
the  castle  there  are  many  fine  trees,  the  most  noteworthy 
being  some  fine  Yews,  which  must  be  of  great  antiquity, 
and  whose  size  and  age  can  only  be  appreciated  when  one 
walks  among  them.  Thus  seen,  they  cannot  fail  to  be 
admired,  with  their  great  boughs  and  venerable  aspect.  An 
interesting  thing  tu  the  writer,  was  a  tine  specimen  of  Acer 
Negundo  fol.  var.,  which  some  in  Scotland  think  tender. 
This  specimen  was  planted  thirty-two  years  ago,  so  that  its 
success  in  a  cold  place  like  this  may  satisfy  some  doubters. 
Near  the  castle  is  a  commodious  Palm  house,  at  one  time 
occupied  with  Camellias,  but  which  now  contains  a  number 
of  healthy,  clean  specimens  of  the  most  popular  species  of 
Palms. 
The  main  gardens  are  situate  a  little  distance  from  the 
castle,  and  occupy  a  site  which  is  admittedly  one  of  the 
worst  on  the  estate  for  a  garden.  Lying  low  down  in  the 
valley,  it  is  exposed  to  early  and  intense  frosts,  which,  with 
the  humidity  of  the  atmosphere,  cause  horticulture  to  be 
pursued  under  considerable  difficulties,  requiring  both  skill 
and  judgment  to  overcome.  An  annual  rainfall  much  in 
excess  of  most  of  the  south-western  Scottish  districts  is 
experienced  every  year,  and  one  year’s  record  reached  no 
fewer  than  75in  :  while  that  of  the  frost  experienced  during 
the  intense  weather  of  the  winter  of  1894-5,  was  lower  than 
in  almost  any  other  part,  of  Great  Britain.  Dahlias  were 
much  blackened  when  I  saw  them  on  September  13,  1901, 
and  some  other  things  showed  alike  early,  the  san.e  effects  of 
the  .winter’s  approach.  ;  c  ■  :  i  : 
In  this  garden  there  were  many  more  flowers  than  one 
had  expected  to  see.  There  are  several  very  fine  herbaceous 
borders,  replanted  about  four  years  ago,  and  filled  with  a 
variety  of  plants  which  have  been  selected  with  much 
judgment,  so  as  to  keep  up  a  continuous  display  from  early 
spring  until  late  autumn.  Phloxes  do  very  well  and  last 
long' in  flower,  and  novelties  among  these  and  other  good 
border  plants  are  added  from  time  to  time.  Asters  are  also 
largely  grown,  and  many  clumps  of  the  old  yellow  A. 
Linosyris,  assisted  by  Rudbeckia  speciosa  and  other  yellow 
Composites,  helped  to  make  the  borders  quite  gay.  Sweet 
Peas  and  other  annuals  are  also  grown  in  some  quantity 
for  cutting  purposes.  Outside  the  walled  gardens  there  are 
also  several  beds  of  herbaceous  and  other  flowers.  Near 
these,  too,  there  is  a  long  stretch  of  arches,  forming  a 
pergola,  covered  with  Clematises,  Aristolochias,  and  other 
climbers.  This  seems  to  be  an  old  feature  of  the  garden. 
Dahlias  are  also  grown  to  some  extent,  but  Mr.  Inglis 
purposes  using  more  largely  than  in  the  past,  the  old 
decorative  Glare  of  the  Garden  for  effect  in  the  borders, 
the  modern  Cactus  Dahlias  giving  little  show  for  this  pur¬ 
pose.  As  the  requirements  of  the  family  throughout  the 
year  in  the  way  of  vegetables  are.  mainly  supplied  from 
Dalkeith,  culinary  produce  of  this  kind  is:  not  much  culti¬ 
vated,  except  for  the  brief  stay  of  the  household  at  the 
castle.  The  most  suitable  and  best  types  of  vegetables  are, 
however,  cultivated  with  success. 
As  is  well  known  to  readers  of  the  Journal,  fruit  has 
always  been  one  of  the  features  for  which  Drumlanrig  has 
acquired  renown.  This,  however,  must  be  said  with  some 
qualification,  as  neither  outdoor  Apples  nor  Pears  have 
given  satisfaction,  due  partly  to  the  soil,  but  in  part  the 
climate.  The  Pears  are  not  so  accommodating  as  the 
Apples,  and  even  those  on  the  walls  do  not  satisfy  Mr. 
Inglis.  Soon  after  entering  on  his  duties  about  eight  years 
ago,  he  took  in  hand  the  planting  of  young  Apple  trees  with 
a  success  which  has  surprised  able  gardeners,  who  did  not 
anticipate  good  results  from  the  methods  adopted.  These 
trees  were  thus  among  the  things  one  specially  desired  to 
see,  and  it  must  be  said  that  they  showed  surprising  results, 
such  as  might  well  be  the  envy  of  those  in  more  favoured 
gardens.  All  the  old  and  worn-out  trees  were  discarded, 
and  young,  healthy  trees  on  the  Paradise  stock,  planted  on 
the  surface  and  mounded  up.  By  liberal  feeding,  keeping 
the  roots  on  the  surface,  and  replanting  every  three  years, 
the  trees  grow  well,  bear  freely,  and  colour  up  splendidly. 
I  noticed,  among  others,  fine  crops  of  such  Apples  as  Queen 
