0:00:02 > 0:00:06Britain has some of the finest gardens anywhere in the world.
0:00:06 > 0:00:09For me it's about getting in amongst the wonderful plants
0:00:09 > 0:00:11that flourish in this country
0:00:11 > 0:00:13and sharing the passion of the people who tend them.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19However, there's another way to enjoy a garden.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27And that's to get up above it.
0:00:29 > 0:00:30I love ballooning
0:00:30 > 0:00:35because you get to see the world below in a whole new light.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37From up here, you get a real sense
0:00:37 > 0:00:40of how the garden sits in the landscape,
0:00:40 > 0:00:43how the terrain and the climate have shaped it.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46And I want YOU to share that experience with me.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13I'm taking to the skies above the royal heart of Scotland,
0:01:13 > 0:01:18where ancient history seems to ooze out of every rugged peak
0:01:18 > 0:01:19and misty hollow.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22The county's dramatic landscape has been shaped
0:01:22 > 0:01:26and defined by glaciers and granite over millions of years.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30Today I'm in Aberdeenshire,
0:01:30 > 0:01:34the most easterly county of the Scottish mainland.
0:01:34 > 0:01:35The city of Aberdeen sits
0:01:35 > 0:01:39in the middle of the wind-lashed North Sea coast.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42The terrain varies from soft, gentle mountains
0:01:42 > 0:01:45to rugged, spectacular crags
0:01:45 > 0:01:48and despite its easterly biting winds,
0:01:48 > 0:01:51down there are some rather spectacular gardens.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59It is an amazingly beautiful country, isn't it?
0:02:03 > 0:02:05I'm visiting some gardens today,
0:02:05 > 0:02:07which have a strong royal connection,
0:02:07 > 0:02:10and which are magnificently colourful,
0:02:10 > 0:02:12even as we head into autumn.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16The first is recognised as an outstanding work of art
0:02:16 > 0:02:19and there's plenty to do to keep it that way.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23I don't know about you saying she'll split rather easily.
0:02:23 > 0:02:25This brute isn't.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27I reckon you picked that one on purpose.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30The second is thought to be one of Britain's highest gardens,
0:02:30 > 0:02:34where all my senses are overwhelmed.
0:02:34 > 0:02:39I think of mist and moisture and that weird smell.
0:02:39 > 0:02:40Absolutely super.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46And we discover the secrets of the mysterious monuments
0:02:46 > 0:02:50left behind by our ancient ancestors.
0:02:54 > 0:02:58Heading inland from Aberdeen, you reach beautiful Royal Deeside,
0:02:58 > 0:03:00where the Royal Family has been holidaying
0:03:00 > 0:03:04since Queen Victoria fell in love with it in 1842.
0:03:07 > 0:03:12And on a sunny slope overlooking the River Dee is Crathes Castle,
0:03:12 > 0:03:15built in the 16th century and handed down
0:03:15 > 0:03:17through 14 generations
0:03:17 > 0:03:19of the ancient family of Burnett of Leys.
0:03:21 > 0:03:25They created one of the finest and most important gardens in Scotland.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29From up here, you get a real sense
0:03:29 > 0:03:32of how the castle sits amongst its beautiful garden,
0:03:32 > 0:03:36magnificent herbaceous borders, spectacular topiary,
0:03:36 > 0:03:41a fountain garden and some really beautiful trees and shrubs
0:03:41 > 0:03:43and I just can't wait to get down there.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04400 years under the loving care of one family
0:04:04 > 0:04:09has given this garden enormous historic significance.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12The three and a half acres of walled garden next to the castle
0:04:12 > 0:04:14started life as a kitchen garden,
0:04:14 > 0:04:16designed to keep the castle household
0:04:16 > 0:04:18supplied with fruit and vegetables.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20But over the centuries,
0:04:20 > 0:04:25it's evolved into something much more flamboyant and artistic.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30Eight individual rooms, on two levels,
0:04:30 > 0:04:34each have a different character and are divided by ancient yew hedges,
0:04:34 > 0:04:39giving them structure amongst a glorious riot of colour.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45And that's largely thanks to Sir James Burnett and his wife,
0:04:45 > 0:04:48Lady Sybil, who were passionate about the estate.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51Their brilliant imagination and plantsmanship
0:04:51 > 0:04:54helped this garden burst into life
0:04:54 > 0:04:56at the beginning of the last century.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59Crathes, the sparkling jewel
0:04:59 > 0:05:02in the horticultural crown of Scotland.
0:05:02 > 0:05:07Sumptuous borders, beautiful trees and shrubs
0:05:07 > 0:05:12and for me, a fantastic tribute to Scottish gardening history.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18Lady Sybil was an early disciple
0:05:18 > 0:05:21of renowned garden designer Gertrude Jekyll
0:05:21 > 0:05:24and was well-known to her contemporaries
0:05:24 > 0:05:25for her gardening skills.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28She first planted the Upper Pool Garden
0:05:28 > 0:05:32with an unlikely mix of flowers in reds, yellows and bronzes
0:05:32 > 0:05:36and created a unique display.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39Sir James, who had a distinguished career in the army,
0:05:39 > 0:05:42was fascinated by trees and hedges,
0:05:42 > 0:05:47and introduced rare and unusual species onto the estate.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50The garden today is recognised as an outstanding example,
0:05:50 > 0:05:54but gardens only stay that way with a lot of hard work.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57And I'm meeting Toby Loveday, the head gardener,
0:05:57 > 0:06:00who's at work in the Upper Pool Garden.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04- Hi, Toby.- Hi, Christine. - Nice to meet you.- How are you doing?
0:06:04 > 0:06:06What are you doing here?
0:06:06 > 0:06:09Lifting Dee lilies. We do this at the end of the season.
0:06:09 > 0:06:13It helps their vigour, encourages them to flower next year.
0:06:13 > 0:06:15But also, as you can see, there's an awful lot of dead through it
0:06:15 > 0:06:17so we'll be taking a lot of that as we go.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20- Would you like a hand? - Yes, please. Yeah, sure.
0:06:21 > 0:06:25And just the traditional up, out and then try and split them?
0:06:25 > 0:06:27Absolutely. Yeah, yeah.
0:06:27 > 0:06:28'It's satisfying work
0:06:28 > 0:06:32'but Toby's energy wasn't always directed to digging.'
0:06:32 > 0:06:34Well, originally, I wanted to be a musician,
0:06:34 > 0:06:36I wanted to be a drummer in a band.
0:06:36 > 0:06:37- A drummer?- Yeah.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40- SHE LAUGHS - That is a contrast.
0:06:40 > 0:06:42But my mother, very sensibly,
0:06:42 > 0:06:45advised me that I needed something to fall back on,
0:06:45 > 0:06:48so I went to college for three years and then I studied
0:06:48 > 0:06:51at The National Trust for Scotland School of Gardening at Threave.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54- Now, that's a nice place.- Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, it was wonderful.
0:06:54 > 0:06:55So I learnt a lot.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58Whatever your training, every gardener has to learn
0:06:58 > 0:07:02how to make the best of the environment they've been given.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06And Toby, like Sir James and Lady Sybil before him,
0:07:06 > 0:07:08have adapted to Crathes.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12I don't know about you saying she'll split rather easily.
0:07:12 > 0:07:13This brute isn't.
0:07:13 > 0:07:15I reckon you picked that one on purpose.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17- Can I borrow your fork? - Yeah, absolutely. There you go.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23That's sounding better.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25- There you are. Thanks very much. - Thank you.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28What are the challenges you face here at Crathes?
0:07:28 > 0:07:30I think climate is probably our biggest challenge.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32Being in the north-east of Scotland,
0:07:32 > 0:07:35we can have some pretty severe temperatures in the winter
0:07:35 > 0:07:38- dipping down to about minus 15 at worst.- Right.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41But also we have very light free-draining soil.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44- Yeah, you're telling me. - Yeah, I know.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47Very little clay in that, so in the summer months,
0:07:47 > 0:07:51when it doesn't rain, the garden reacts really fast to that
0:07:51 > 0:07:54and we actually have to really irrigate quickly to get on top of it.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56But you haven't got soggy feet in the winter, mate.
0:07:56 > 0:07:57Absolutely not. No, never.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59- That is lovely. - Yeah, it's wonderful.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02And presumably, that restricts the range of plants you can grow.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04To a certain extent, yeah.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07Roses don't particularly like it. It's a very light soil for them.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10So we struggle with roses, they're a bit more of a challenge.
0:08:10 > 0:08:11Absolutely.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14Herbaceous perennials we grow very, very well.
0:08:16 > 0:08:18- It smells all right as well.- Mm-hm.
0:08:19 > 0:08:20Oh, yeah, I like that.
0:08:24 > 0:08:25One of the biggest challenges
0:08:25 > 0:08:28for a garden that's been established for a long time
0:08:28 > 0:08:31is how to refresh and invigorate it.
0:08:31 > 0:08:35And that's now Toby's job, as Sir James handed over the castle
0:08:35 > 0:08:39and the estate to the National Trust for Scotland in 1951,
0:08:39 > 0:08:41bequeathing a lifetime's work
0:08:41 > 0:08:44and some important horticultural species.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49This is a very established border, isn't it?
0:08:49 > 0:08:53But what sort of age period would this have been planted in?
0:08:53 > 0:08:54What's the history to this tree?
0:08:54 > 0:08:57Well, this particular one is a magnolia
0:08:57 > 0:09:01and this would date back to the time of Sir James and Lady Sybil Burnett,
0:09:01 > 0:09:02in about the 1930s.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04And how do you know that?
0:09:04 > 0:09:09- We actually have Sir James Burnett's original planting book...- Wow!
0:09:09 > 0:09:11..that basically details every single plant
0:09:11 > 0:09:15- they had in the garden at that time. - Blimey!
0:09:15 > 0:09:17So you've actually got a physical record
0:09:17 > 0:09:20- of what has gone into this garden. - Absolutely, yeah, at that time.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22- It's very important. - That's amazing.- Yeah.
0:09:22 > 0:09:23And how are you dealing
0:09:23 > 0:09:26with the fact that this garden is actually getting quite old?
0:09:26 > 0:09:28Many of the specimens within this garden
0:09:28 > 0:09:32are of quite historical and horticultural significance,
0:09:32 > 0:09:35so we really need to look closely at how we preserve the specimens
0:09:35 > 0:09:37going forward for the future.
0:09:37 > 0:09:39And do you have a specific type of propagation?
0:09:39 > 0:09:41I mean, this can be propagated in different ways.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43Sure, we'll probably start with some cuttings
0:09:43 > 0:09:45and see what sort of success we get with that.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47OK, let's have a collection of a bit of material.
0:09:49 > 0:09:50'Taking cuttings is a cheap
0:09:50 > 0:09:53'and an effective way of growing more plants.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55'But make sure you use healthy parent plants
0:09:55 > 0:09:58'and take cuttings at the right time of year.'
0:10:00 > 0:10:02I think there's a bit more up there.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05So I think it's...
0:10:05 > 0:10:07- Got it?- Yeah, I think so.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19Magnolias are distinctive trees or shrubs
0:10:19 > 0:10:22with large goblets or star-shaped flowers
0:10:22 > 0:10:25that burst into bloom in spring and summer.
0:10:25 > 0:10:27To produce the best growth and flowers,
0:10:27 > 0:10:30they need full sun, and fertile, moist soil.
0:10:30 > 0:10:35But, most of all, magnolias like to be sheltered,
0:10:35 > 0:10:37so are often grown against a sunny wall.
0:10:40 > 0:10:42Is this a garden for different seasons
0:10:42 > 0:10:45or has it got a specific season?
0:10:45 > 0:10:47No, because of these rooms that we have,
0:10:47 > 0:10:48each one has a different character
0:10:48 > 0:10:52and pretty much each time of year there's something different to see.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55The way it's evolved, it's the sort of garden
0:10:55 > 0:10:58you tend to wander and explore very randomly.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01I don't think there are two similar routes down the garden
0:11:01 > 0:11:02to follow, sort of thing.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05But that kind of adds to that sense of adventure
0:11:05 > 0:11:08that you have as you're exploring and discovering new rooms.
0:11:08 > 0:11:09Absolutely, yeah.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11I reckon there's a lot more material up there,
0:11:11 > 0:11:14- but I think we are going to need a ladder, so...- I think so.
0:11:14 > 0:11:16- ..let's go and get a ladder.- Sure.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23Toby's following in the footsteps of a head gardener at Crathes
0:11:23 > 0:11:27who carried out Sir James and Lady Sybil's instructions
0:11:27 > 0:11:30when they were gardening almost 100 years ago.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34He was local legend Douglas MacDonald,
0:11:34 > 0:11:37who joined the staff in 1937.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41His son Doug was brought up in a cottage on the estate.
0:11:43 > 0:11:44I was brought up in here.
0:11:45 > 0:11:52And just had the run of the place. Climbing trees and being devilment.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55I used to go fishing, doing a bit of poaching here and there.
0:11:55 > 0:12:01I was just one of the warriors at Crathes.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05While young Doug was up to mischief, his dad lived and breathed
0:12:05 > 0:12:08the castle garden every waking moment.
0:12:08 > 0:12:14Each plant was in its place and the borders were his pride and joy.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18He really enjoyed himself here as well.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21The gardens here was his second home.
0:12:22 > 0:12:24I think all he could think of
0:12:24 > 0:12:26was just gardening, gardening, gardening.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29The amount of people, the thousands of people,
0:12:29 > 0:12:33that he spoke to in a year was unreal.
0:12:33 > 0:12:38All over the world people come in and about and congratulated him
0:12:38 > 0:12:41on the estate, the garden and everything.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44Douglas advised people all over the world on garden design,
0:12:44 > 0:12:46made appearances on the BBC
0:12:46 > 0:12:51and was awarded the British Empire Medal for services to gardening.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54And young Doug often lent a helping hand.
0:12:54 > 0:12:58When he was ten years old he remembers mowing the croquet lawn
0:12:58 > 0:13:02as some very special visitors arrived.
0:13:04 > 0:13:10That green was to be cut specifically dead straight.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12And my father came up the steps
0:13:12 > 0:13:16and, "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Stop, stop, stop."
0:13:16 > 0:13:18He says, "The Royal Family."
0:13:19 > 0:13:21I go, "Uh?" He says, "Aye."
0:13:22 > 0:13:25So just like that, down they came into the garden
0:13:25 > 0:13:29and it was the Queen and Prince Philip
0:13:29 > 0:13:31and a couple of the little ones.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34Prince Philip, he comes straight over to me,
0:13:34 > 0:13:37"What are you doing? What are you doing?"
0:13:37 > 0:13:42And I says, "I'm cutting the green to a certain height."
0:13:42 > 0:13:45I says, "For Sir James and Lady Burnett playing croquet."
0:13:46 > 0:13:48"Can I have a shot?"
0:13:48 > 0:13:50I says, "Yeah, no problem.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53"But you have to keep it straight, mind."
0:13:53 > 0:13:56Oh, well, by the time he was finished, it was like a snake.
0:13:56 > 0:13:58He come back and he's...
0:13:58 > 0:14:00- HE GRUNTS - "I think I'll leave it for you," he says.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03"I'm not very good." I says, "No, you're nae that."
0:14:04 > 0:14:09Prince Philip wouldn't make a croquet green cutter. No way.
0:14:13 > 0:14:15Although Doug was a dab hand with the mower,
0:14:15 > 0:14:18as he grew up, his career took another path
0:14:18 > 0:14:20and he went to work in the oil industry.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23But his memories of childhood
0:14:23 > 0:14:27and his love of this very special garden have never left him.
0:14:28 > 0:14:32So, Dough, tell me what it was like to grow up on this estate.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35Oh, it was absolutely fantastic, really.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38You got the freedom of the garden, for a start.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42And what about your time in the garden with your dad?
0:14:42 > 0:14:45You know, did he show you how to garden at all?
0:14:45 > 0:14:49No, not really. Cos I wasn't actually interested.
0:14:49 > 0:14:54- But once I was older, I appreciated it better.- Yeah.
0:14:54 > 0:14:59Because I used to come in here and meditated, relaxed.
0:14:59 > 0:15:03I walked about by myself and you got all the different smells
0:15:03 > 0:15:06and perfumes of the plants and everything
0:15:06 > 0:15:09and you stopped and you listened and all you could hear was the birds.
0:15:09 > 0:15:10Yeah.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14- Sometimes I used to think it was my own garden.- Yeah.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17- And I was so chuffed with that. - Right.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20Your dad would be very proud of that thought.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22Yes, he would be now.
0:15:22 > 0:15:26- And just a pity he isn't still with us.- Yeah.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28But I get the terrific sense
0:15:28 > 0:15:32- that you are in love with this garden.- Yeah, yes, yes.
0:15:32 > 0:15:37- And that's very special. - Cos I used to come in and see him.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40- Yeah.- Sometimes you just saw his head popping up and down
0:15:40 > 0:15:41between the shrubs.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46- And what was he like as a man? - Very regimental.- Right.
0:15:46 > 0:15:48He liked everything to be done...
0:15:49 > 0:15:50..to his standard.
0:15:50 > 0:15:52If it wasn't done with the gardeners,
0:15:52 > 0:15:54he'd come back and did it himself.
0:15:54 > 0:15:58If he got a chance, he would have taken his bed down here
0:15:58 > 0:16:00and he would have slept in the borders sometimes.
0:16:00 > 0:16:02This was his pride and joy.
0:16:06 > 0:16:11There's no doubt that Douglas Senior made his mark here at Crathes.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13And, from up here, it's easy to see how the gardens,
0:16:13 > 0:16:18and the castle rising up out of this beautiful landscape,
0:16:18 > 0:16:20were meant to inspire awe.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25But, long before Crathes was built,
0:16:25 > 0:16:28other ancient communities were making their mark on the landscape
0:16:28 > 0:16:32with monuments on hilltops all over North-East Scotland.
0:16:34 > 0:16:36Adam Welfare, from the Royal Commission
0:16:36 > 0:16:41on the Ancient Historical Monuments of Scotland, explains.
0:16:41 > 0:16:45Here in Aberdeen, we are essentially in a glacier landscape
0:16:45 > 0:16:48and these glaciers, as the melted,
0:16:48 > 0:16:51would have left an enormous amount of debris behind
0:16:51 > 0:16:54and it is that debris that people
0:16:54 > 0:16:59over the last 10,000 years, in a sense,
0:16:59 > 0:17:01have been gradually clearing away.
0:17:01 > 0:17:03And in this particular instance,
0:17:03 > 0:17:06stone has been cleared from the landscape
0:17:06 > 0:17:10and reconstituted, if you like, into a stone circle.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16For me, stone circles like this one at Tomnaverie
0:17:16 > 0:17:19have an eerie, mystical quality
0:17:19 > 0:17:22that fits so well with the Scottish landscape.
0:17:22 > 0:17:26And there are more than 70 of them in this part of the country,
0:17:26 > 0:17:30all with the same intriguing feature -
0:17:30 > 0:17:35one huge stone lying on its side between two uprights.
0:17:35 > 0:17:39They are actually designed to impress the visitor,
0:17:39 > 0:17:40first and foremost.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43You're meant to notice them in the landscape.
0:17:43 > 0:17:47Archaeologists now believe they know the secret
0:17:47 > 0:17:51behind these particular stone circles.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53The heart of these stone circles,
0:17:53 > 0:17:57that is usually the remains of a funeral pyre.
0:17:57 > 0:18:02Subsequently to that, they started to build a very complex construction
0:18:02 > 0:18:06which is completed by the stone circle.
0:18:06 > 0:18:10It seems the stone circle is all that remains of a monument
0:18:10 > 0:18:14marking a sacred site where a cremation had taken place.
0:18:17 > 0:18:19And it's now thought that the two upright stones
0:18:19 > 0:18:23symbolise a doorway into or out of the circle,
0:18:23 > 0:18:26which is closed by the recumbent stone.
0:18:26 > 0:18:30Perhaps to keep the spirits of the dead within the circle?
0:18:30 > 0:18:36So these are sealed spots and it seems that the stone circle itself
0:18:36 > 0:18:40is kind of a set of railings, if you like,
0:18:40 > 0:18:44into which human beings are not really meant to enter.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47That's what the people of the early Bronze Age
0:18:47 > 0:18:50believed in 2500BC, 2300BC.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55But the circle also had another deeply symbolic
0:18:55 > 0:18:56and important meaning
0:18:56 > 0:19:00for the society that went to so much trouble to construct them.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05The essential characteristic of stone circles
0:19:05 > 0:19:07is, of course, their circularity.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10And we believe that it's symbolic of the cycle of life.
0:19:10 > 0:19:12What is the cycle of life?
0:19:12 > 0:19:17It is essentially that we are born, we grow older and then we die.
0:19:18 > 0:19:23But it's a cycle and the people who built these stone circles
0:19:23 > 0:19:27was quite aware that whatever might happen to the individual,
0:19:27 > 0:19:28life went on.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32I love the idea that these monuments
0:19:32 > 0:19:36give us clues about how our ancestors used to live
0:19:36 > 0:19:38and what they believed.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41The access is essentially north-east south-west
0:19:41 > 0:19:45on these stone circles, just the same as at Stonehenge.
0:19:45 > 0:19:52And that access is closely related to the position of the sun
0:19:52 > 0:19:56at both the summer solstice and the winter solstice.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59And they saw in this a metaphor for life,
0:19:59 > 0:20:04that essentially the longest day and the shortest night
0:20:04 > 0:20:06is life at its most vital,
0:20:06 > 0:20:10when you're young and fully developed
0:20:10 > 0:20:14and in our world having children, etc, etc.
0:20:14 > 0:20:15But at the winter solstice,
0:20:15 > 0:20:20it's associated with the death of nature and the death of human beings.
0:20:21 > 0:20:25Essentially, what they're encoding in these stone circles
0:20:25 > 0:20:28is their understanding of life.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32Our ancestors knew what they were doing
0:20:32 > 0:20:35when they created these awe-inspiring monuments
0:20:35 > 0:20:39in stark contrast with the lush landscape around them.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42And we're still doing the same thing today.
0:20:46 > 0:20:50Head north-west towards the Cairngorms from Tomnaverie
0:20:50 > 0:20:53and you come to an estate that dominates its surroundings
0:20:53 > 0:20:57in just as magical and mysterious a way.
0:20:57 > 0:20:58It's called Tillypronie.
0:21:00 > 0:21:04These gardens are full of spectacular heather beds,
0:21:04 > 0:21:06magnificent herbaceous borders
0:21:06 > 0:21:10and trees and forests that melt into the landscape.
0:21:12 > 0:21:16Tillypronie means 'top of the hill' and it was exposed to
0:21:16 > 0:21:19the very harshest weather conditions Scotland could throw at it,
0:21:19 > 0:21:23until belts of trees were planted for shelter.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26Nestled into the foothills of the Grampian Mountains,
0:21:26 > 0:21:30Tillypronie has stunning views.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38It sits at over 1,000 feet
0:21:38 > 0:21:41and as such, it's claimed to be one of the highest gardens in Scotland,
0:21:41 > 0:21:46having frost practically every month of the year.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50And now it's beginning to turn its autumnal glory.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58It's definitely the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness here,
0:21:58 > 0:22:00as I make my way along the edge of the lake
0:22:00 > 0:22:03with head gardener Kate Redpath.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07It's the kind of place that makes you feel a bit poetic.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12Oh, this is quite atmospheric, isn't it?
0:22:12 > 0:22:16It's rather lovely, isn't it? With all this mist. It's terrific.
0:22:16 > 0:22:20Kate has got something more practical in mind.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23- Just watch your step on that stone. - OK, thank you.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25Gosh, so what are you doing down here?
0:22:25 > 0:22:30- As you can see, we have got rather a lot of skunk cabbages.- I'd say.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32- And both species here. - Yeah, both species -
0:22:32 > 0:22:35the white one and the yellow one, Asian and American.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38The Asian one is not a problem, but the American one spreads everywhere.
0:22:38 > 0:22:40So we're just trying to reduce it a little bit.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43- You are a glutton for punishment, lass.- Yes, yeah.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46Have you any idea how hard work it is digging this stuff up?
0:22:46 > 0:22:48Oh, yes, yes.
0:22:48 > 0:22:52I mean, this is enormous. Anyway, we'll give it a go.
0:22:52 > 0:22:54Have you got a saw or something, we'll take that off.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57- The easiest thing is just to... - Lop off the top.- ..saw off the top.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04And then we can have a look at what we've got.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06- Go on, I don't mind. - Get the spade in.
0:23:06 > 0:23:10I mean, the big problem with this is that not only will it
0:23:10 > 0:23:14spread by the roots, but it sometimes seeds itself, doesn't it?
0:23:14 > 0:23:18- Yes. Yeah. Well, there is a seed pod here.- Oh, right, let's have a look.
0:23:18 > 0:23:19I mean, look at...
0:23:19 > 0:23:23- SHE LAUGHS - Just look at that.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26And that is the problem we have. There are hundreds...
0:23:26 > 0:23:28Well, thousands of seeds.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31And I did read that they last for eight years in the soil, so...
0:23:31 > 0:23:34You've got a problem, yeah.
0:23:34 > 0:23:36And also with being in a watercourse,
0:23:36 > 0:23:40we've got them flowing down here into our lake
0:23:40 > 0:23:41and then out into the field
0:23:41 > 0:23:44and into a watercourse outside the garden.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46And the Cairngorms are out there, aren't they?
0:23:46 > 0:23:49Yes, we we're right on the edge of the Cairngorms National Park.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51The last thing you want is an invasive species taking over.
0:23:51 > 0:23:53They'd love you for that.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56They really, seriously would love you for that.
0:23:56 > 0:23:57Anyway, you have a go.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06Despite the unbelievably stubborn skunk cabbage,
0:24:06 > 0:24:09I envy Kate her position here.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12What is it that you love so much about this job?
0:24:12 > 0:24:15I love a job where I'm outside all the time.
0:24:15 > 0:24:19And I spend my day in one of the most beautiful gardens in Scotland.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23- What makes it so special to you? - I think it is probably the setting.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25We are right high up on a hill.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28When it is not misty like this, the view is phenomenal.
0:24:28 > 0:24:30You are looking right over Royal Deeside.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32You can see up into the Cairngorms.
0:24:32 > 0:24:34It is absolutely stunning.
0:24:34 > 0:24:36It's this atmosphere as well.
0:24:36 > 0:24:38You see, I think... Northern Scotland, I think of,
0:24:38 > 0:24:43you know, mist and moisture and that weird smell,
0:24:43 > 0:24:45you know, first thing in the morning.
0:24:45 > 0:24:46I think it is the clean air.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49There is no traffic pollution at all.
0:24:49 > 0:24:53That's right, you can smell the vegetation. It's absolutely super.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56- So let's squidge, squidge. - Going to carry on with this?
0:24:56 > 0:24:58Yeah, yeah, let's see what we can do.
0:25:04 > 0:25:09What are the challenges you face in this sort of environment?
0:25:10 > 0:25:14The main challenge we have here is the weather, to be honest.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16You know, we can get four months of snow lying.
0:25:16 > 0:25:20- Maybe start snowing end of November. - Right.- Through to April sometimes.
0:25:20 > 0:25:24So, really the crux of the gardening year, when you should be tidying...
0:25:24 > 0:25:29- Yeah.- ..and regeneration and getting the garden ready for the spring.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31You've got bulbs as well, don't you? I think.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34That's a broken bit, that's not good.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37- And that's the danger. You see?- Yeah.
0:25:37 > 0:25:41- There we go.- Fantastic example of what we shouldn't be doing.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44Cos that would normally have... And this end there.
0:25:44 > 0:25:46You'd normally have the base plate,
0:25:46 > 0:25:49so where the plant grows from, and that would have lots of bulbs on.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52- And that's how it generates again. - So that is two half ones.- Yeah.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57God, it stinks. Gaw!
0:25:57 > 0:25:59- Do you want me to have a go from this side?- Yeah.
0:25:59 > 0:26:00Just watch your fingers.
0:26:04 > 0:26:06You are coming out!
0:26:06 > 0:26:09- There you are.- Ah-ha, there's another bit.- That's it, come on.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11Woohoo!
0:26:11 > 0:26:12See?
0:26:15 > 0:26:16That was a struggle!
0:26:16 > 0:26:19But the mist is clearing and I need to wipe the muck off my hands
0:26:19 > 0:26:22because I'm going to meet the owner of Tillypronie,
0:26:22 > 0:26:24The Right Honourable Philip Astor.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29Philip, what's the history of this estate?
0:26:29 > 0:26:32Well, it all dates back, really, to the time of Queen Victoria.
0:26:32 > 0:26:39The house was built in 1867 by the son of Queen Victoria's physician.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42He was Sir James Clark, and his son, John Clark, built it.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45And Queen Victoria, in fact, came over and laid the foundation stone.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48I think it was the first time she'd ever done that.
0:26:48 > 0:26:50So that was rather special.
0:26:51 > 0:26:55And she used to come over with John Brown,
0:26:55 > 0:26:59famously her gillie and friend and counsellor, I suppose.
0:26:59 > 0:27:03And the story goes that the Clark family weren't comfortable
0:27:03 > 0:27:08with him eating in the house and he thought that he was perhaps
0:27:08 > 0:27:12too superior to eat with the staff, so they built as little hut for him
0:27:12 > 0:27:16- outside, where he would eat in sumptuary state.- On his own?
0:27:16 > 0:27:18- Well, that is what I understand. - Right.
0:27:19 > 0:27:24Philip's parents bought Tillypronie in 1951 with the garden
0:27:24 > 0:27:25terraces already laid out.
0:27:27 > 0:27:31In the early days, Philip had very little interest in the garden,
0:27:31 > 0:27:35although he was present when the Queen planted a tree here in 1960.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40Years later, he took over the estate from his parents,
0:27:40 > 0:27:42Lord and Lady Astor.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46Well, I inherited when I was very young, I was only 24,
0:27:46 > 0:27:49my mother was still alive then and she was very much...
0:27:49 > 0:27:51had been very much involved.
0:27:51 > 0:27:56And it was really ready-made, so I didn't really need to do very much.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59But as time went on, I saw that we had got some plans in the house
0:27:59 > 0:28:04of various initiatives that had been considered, for example, a rockery.
0:28:04 > 0:28:06And the rockery is now very much good
0:28:06 > 0:28:09in springtime in particular with alpines.
0:28:09 > 0:28:16And then I also did a Golden Jubilee garden to mark the Queen's Jubilee.
0:28:16 > 0:28:21And she graciously came over and planted a dawyck.
0:28:21 > 0:28:25Her little dog at the time, which was potentially embarrassing because
0:28:25 > 0:28:29as we were walking to the place where the tree was going to be planted,
0:28:29 > 0:28:34he did a poo in front of us and then did a wee on the tree.
0:28:34 > 0:28:37Now there is a horticulturalist's dog -
0:28:37 > 0:28:40waters it in and then fertilises it.
0:28:40 > 0:28:41I love that.
0:28:41 > 0:28:43Well, and I think she understood, too.
0:28:44 > 0:28:47It seems Her Majesty forgave the breach of protocol,
0:28:47 > 0:28:50and now Philip and his wife, Justine,
0:28:50 > 0:28:52are making their mark on the garden.
0:28:52 > 0:28:59My wife is particularly keen to develop the planting in various
0:28:59 > 0:29:03places, so for example, some of the beds looking very fulsome
0:29:03 > 0:29:08at this time of year can look rather bare and quiet in springtime.
0:29:08 > 0:29:12- So, her aim is to extend the seasonality.- Exactly.
0:29:12 > 0:29:16Do you know, I get the real sense that it is in very safe hands.
0:29:16 > 0:29:19- Would you like to show me a little bit more?- Absolutely.
0:29:19 > 0:29:23Tillypronie's heather beds make a fabulous feature in the front
0:29:23 > 0:29:27of the house, helping the garden to blend with the surrounding hills.
0:29:29 > 0:29:33The glorious purple colours of Scottish heather, or ling,
0:29:33 > 0:29:36spread freely over five million acres
0:29:36 > 0:29:39of Scotland's hills and moorlands.
0:29:39 > 0:29:43It's a hardy plant which likes an acid soil, enjoying sunny
0:29:43 > 0:29:48slopes and lots of water - perfect for the Scottish climate.
0:29:48 > 0:29:51Scottish heather is an important food source for sheep
0:29:51 > 0:29:54and some deer when snow covers the ground in winter.
0:30:02 > 0:30:05Overlooked by the heather-clad hills of the Cairngorms and just
0:30:05 > 0:30:09down the road from Tillypronie, is the village of Tarland.
0:30:09 > 0:30:11With countryside all around,
0:30:11 > 0:30:15it's hard to imagine that not everyone living here has a garden.
0:30:15 > 0:30:18But the community has come up with a brilliant solution.
0:30:18 > 0:30:20Lizzie Shepherd explains.
0:30:22 > 0:30:25Tarland Community Garden came about when a group of local
0:30:25 > 0:30:27volunteers came together to try and encourage more
0:30:27 > 0:30:31people in the area to grow fruit and vegetables more successfully.
0:30:31 > 0:30:34We found out there were a whole series of barriers that were
0:30:34 > 0:30:37stopping people from growing fruit and veg locally,
0:30:37 > 0:30:40such as health problems, they didn't know how to grow fruit and veg
0:30:40 > 0:30:42and the climate can be really challenging up here
0:30:42 > 0:30:45and they didn't have the facilities to do it.
0:30:45 > 0:30:47With the help of funds from the Scottish government
0:30:47 > 0:30:49and Aberdeenshire Council,
0:30:49 > 0:30:53the group set up a 90-foot polytunnel over raised flower
0:30:53 > 0:30:58and vegetable beds, so that everyone could have a go at being a gardener.
0:30:58 > 0:31:00We've got about 40 households who are members
0:31:00 > 0:31:02of Tarland Community Garden,
0:31:02 > 0:31:06and they have an individual bed each, both inside and outside the tunnel.
0:31:06 > 0:31:09The local primary school and the play group have beds.
0:31:09 > 0:31:13And so the children are able to come in and use the facilities as well.
0:31:13 > 0:31:17And it's not just the youngsters who are learning new skills.
0:31:17 > 0:31:22Ex-fisherman and oil-rigger, Frank, loves spending time at the garden.
0:31:22 > 0:31:25I've been coming here for a year and a half now.
0:31:25 > 0:31:29I've met a lot of new friends in the Community Garden, you know?
0:31:29 > 0:31:31It's been really good, like.
0:31:32 > 0:31:34I've always been interested in gardening,
0:31:34 > 0:31:37even when I was on the sea, you know.
0:31:37 > 0:31:41And I used to read a lot of gardening books, and I says,
0:31:41 > 0:31:46"Well, when I come ashore, I'll take up a wee bit of gardening,
0:31:46 > 0:31:48"just to pass the time," you know what I mean?
0:31:48 > 0:31:51I'd like to grow sort of exotic stuff,
0:31:51 > 0:31:54again if the weather...if we get a good summer, you know?
0:31:54 > 0:31:58I mean, aubergines, that's the first time I've ever grown them.
0:31:58 > 0:32:00In this part of Scotland,
0:32:00 > 0:32:03if you mention aubergines, they say, "What's that, what's that?"
0:32:03 > 0:32:04Yeah?
0:32:06 > 0:32:10And since he's discovered his green fingers, there's no stopping him!
0:32:10 > 0:32:13I was actually thinking - lemon cucumbers.
0:32:13 > 0:32:15But they're nae long, you see?
0:32:15 > 0:32:19They're like the size of a...like the size of a beetroot.
0:32:19 > 0:32:20You know?
0:32:20 > 0:32:24And I reckon they've got a lovely lemony flavour.
0:32:24 > 0:32:27Apart from your normal cucumber, you know?
0:32:27 > 0:32:30So I'd like to try... I'll probably try them next year, I would think.
0:32:34 > 0:32:36Annie's a social scientist,
0:32:36 > 0:32:39and she couldn't wait to get involved with the project.
0:32:39 > 0:32:42I started in the garden when I first moved to Tarland,
0:32:42 > 0:32:46which was just over two years ago, and it was just starting to get built
0:32:46 > 0:32:48and I was very keen to be a member cos
0:32:48 > 0:32:50I don't have any growing space at my house.
0:32:50 > 0:32:53My favourite thing about coming here is probably meeting everybody
0:32:53 > 0:32:55that's around, it's always very sociable,
0:32:55 > 0:32:57and obviously, the produce,
0:32:57 > 0:33:00because you can come here and find something tasty for your tea,
0:33:00 > 0:33:03maybe do a bit of bartering with other people that are around.
0:33:05 > 0:33:07As everyone settles down for some soup,
0:33:07 > 0:33:10made of course from home-grown produce, I'm reminded
0:33:10 > 0:33:13of the sense of sharing and belonging
0:33:13 > 0:33:15that a simple garden can encourage.
0:33:28 > 0:33:32The Cairngorm mountains are known for their beauty and their wildlife,
0:33:32 > 0:33:34and for skiing in the winter.
0:33:34 > 0:33:37But it's the legacy of the ice age that formed the rugged
0:33:37 > 0:33:40and breathtaking landscape that we know today,
0:33:40 > 0:33:44and which has defined the history of Aberdeenshire.
0:33:44 > 0:33:48The mountains themselves are made of granite.
0:33:49 > 0:33:52As the centuries passed, granite was used locally.
0:33:52 > 0:33:56But large-scale extraction of granite really began as commerce
0:33:56 > 0:33:59and industry expanded in the 18th century.
0:34:01 > 0:34:04As its fame spread, the demand for granite grew,
0:34:04 > 0:34:07forming the basis for the prosperity of the area.
0:34:09 > 0:34:11Jenny Brown is from Aberdeen Museum.
0:34:13 > 0:34:16The granite industry is a huge part of who we are here in Aberdeen.
0:34:16 > 0:34:19We've used our local stone, which we are very rich in,
0:34:19 > 0:34:23for our monuments and our homes and our buildings for centuries.
0:34:23 > 0:34:26And particularly from the 18th century onwards,
0:34:26 > 0:34:28we began to build the city out of granite.
0:34:28 > 0:34:30So it's really all around us.
0:34:30 > 0:34:32So, we're here in Marshall College, which is perhaps one
0:34:32 > 0:34:35of the most extravagant examples of the use of granite,
0:34:35 > 0:34:38built when the industry really was at its peak.
0:34:38 > 0:34:42And the skill here, it could not really be replicated today.
0:34:42 > 0:34:46So it's a huge part of our heritage and our culture.
0:34:46 > 0:34:49There was a large number of quarries in and around Aberdeen,
0:34:49 > 0:34:52producing granite of different colours and textures,
0:34:52 > 0:34:55which led to its nickname of the Granite City.
0:34:57 > 0:35:01In the 19th century, of course, and the coming of steam power,
0:35:01 > 0:35:04things really got going. So you start seeing a lot more
0:35:04 > 0:35:09building in the city using the stone but also exporting.
0:35:09 > 0:35:11This is an age where we have huge engineering projects being
0:35:11 > 0:35:15undertaken all over the UK, in fact all over the world.
0:35:15 > 0:35:18And granite was perfect for that kind of building cos it's strong
0:35:18 > 0:35:19and it's durable.
0:35:20 > 0:35:23By the late Victorian period, Aberdeen workers had
0:35:23 > 0:35:27honed their granite-working skills so much that they were able to carve
0:35:27 > 0:35:31fine details into the architecture of buildings and monuments.
0:35:33 > 0:35:34The craftsmen here were
0:35:34 > 0:35:37so well respected for their skill in working what is quite
0:35:37 > 0:35:40a difficult stone that they were actually, as individuals,
0:35:40 > 0:35:45travelling overseas and to other parts of the UK to apply their trade.
0:35:45 > 0:35:49The popularity of granite reached its peak in the years leading
0:35:49 > 0:35:50up to the First World War.
0:35:50 > 0:35:55But after that, the industry began to decline.
0:35:55 > 0:35:57With the discovery of oil in the North Sea,
0:35:57 > 0:36:00obviously things changed here a lot.
0:36:00 > 0:36:02And one of those was that the big companies were coming in
0:36:02 > 0:36:04and offering really high salaries.
0:36:04 > 0:36:06And the native industries couldn't really compete with that,
0:36:06 > 0:36:09and that really contributed to the final decline.
0:36:09 > 0:36:13And the industry now is much reduced, but they still very much pride
0:36:13 > 0:36:17themselves on those skills in working the local stone.
0:36:17 > 0:36:19And we also work very hard to preserve our heritage
0:36:19 > 0:36:21here in the city.
0:36:21 > 0:36:24The beautiful architecture of Aberdeen,
0:36:24 > 0:36:26and buildings throughout the region,
0:36:26 > 0:36:30means granite will always be characteristic of this place.
0:36:31 > 0:36:34Crathes Castle itself, built of granite way back in the 16th
0:36:34 > 0:36:39century, shows how much the geology of the area has shaped its history.
0:36:41 > 0:36:45And everything I've seen in North-East Scotland shows how
0:36:45 > 0:36:48people here have been inspired to create things from nature,
0:36:48 > 0:36:54in harmony with the beautiful and dramatic scenery around them.
0:37:01 > 0:37:04It's wonderful to walk around the garden here at Crathes
0:37:04 > 0:37:08and think about all the members of the Burnett family
0:37:08 > 0:37:11and their staff who've loved it and added to it over time.
0:37:12 > 0:37:16Every gardener has left a bit of themselves in the design or the
0:37:16 > 0:37:21planting of the estate, and for some people it's been their life's work.
0:37:23 > 0:37:26And it was the woods in particular that head gardener's son, Doug,
0:37:26 > 0:37:29loved so much when he was a boy.
0:37:29 > 0:37:32Climbing trees and helping the foresters have given him
0:37:32 > 0:37:34a lifetime of cherished memories.
0:37:36 > 0:37:40I want to leave my own contribution here that will serve
0:37:40 > 0:37:43as a memorial to a very special gardener.
0:37:44 > 0:37:48If you was to leave something that celebrated your dad's
0:37:48 > 0:37:50life in the garden, what would it be?
0:37:50 > 0:37:53Well, I've got a photograph of him when he was a retiring,
0:37:53 > 0:37:56doing the gardening with a hoe in his hand,
0:37:56 > 0:37:58- standing at attention...- Yeah.
0:37:58 > 0:38:01..ready to get going. I think something like that...
0:38:01 > 0:38:04- Something practical. - ..would be really nice to see.
0:38:04 > 0:38:09For a gardener, there's something very special about hoeing.
0:38:09 > 0:38:12It connects the man, or the woman, with the soil.
0:38:12 > 0:38:17And you spend a lot of time thinking, dreaming, hoeing.
0:38:17 > 0:38:20- I think there's a lot of dreaming. - Yeah. Let's have a walk.
0:38:23 > 0:38:27I'm sure I know a group of local craftsmen who can put
0:38:27 > 0:38:29a practical spin to this dreaming.
0:38:31 > 0:38:35Grampian Woodturners were established 20 years ago, and
0:38:35 > 0:38:39their 50 members make all kinds of wooden objects from local forests.
0:38:42 > 0:38:46Bill Diack and the group hold regular demonstrations at Crathes.
0:38:46 > 0:38:49I served my apprenticeship at a joiner.
0:38:49 > 0:38:54That's the only thing I've ever wanted to do was work with timber.
0:38:54 > 0:38:57The members make all sorts of wooden objects,
0:38:57 > 0:39:00from spheres, bowls,
0:39:00 > 0:39:05platters, spurtles - a Scottish stirring stick -
0:39:05 > 0:39:09what you make is limited by your own imagination.
0:39:11 > 0:39:15Early woodturners used lathes operated by primitive mechanisms,
0:39:15 > 0:39:19such as straps or poles, but they were very effective and many believe
0:39:19 > 0:39:21they were the first form of machines.
0:39:23 > 0:39:26Later, a whole industry grew up around producing just
0:39:26 > 0:39:29the legs of chairs and these craftsmen,
0:39:29 > 0:39:32known as bodgers, would often buy a piece of woodland
0:39:32 > 0:39:33and set up camp there.
0:39:36 > 0:39:39These days, motorised lathes make the process of woodturning
0:39:39 > 0:39:40much quicker.
0:39:49 > 0:39:51I prefer wood turning to carving
0:39:51 > 0:39:55because I can achieve a finished object fairly quickly.
0:39:55 > 0:39:56Wood turning...
0:39:56 > 0:40:00Carving is quite a slow and laborious process,
0:40:00 > 0:40:02and I don't have patience for it.
0:40:08 > 0:40:10And you can take off quite heavy...
0:40:10 > 0:40:12Not too bad. Could've been better.
0:40:12 > 0:40:14HE LAUGHS
0:40:14 > 0:40:17Today, the gardeners at Crathes have donated some oak to
0:40:17 > 0:40:22Grampian Woodturners so they can make a very special one-off piece.
0:40:24 > 0:40:26This is...
0:40:26 > 0:40:29a piece of the oak that we were
0:40:29 > 0:40:33given by the gardener for making the handle for a hoe.
0:40:45 > 0:40:49Fellow woodturner Alastair McKenzie inspects the finished article.
0:40:51 > 0:40:53He's done a very good job.
0:40:53 > 0:40:55Yes, he's a very talented turner as well.
0:40:55 > 0:41:01So, yes, just need to get the plaque mounted on here
0:41:01 > 0:41:04and that'll be it, ready for mounting.
0:41:07 > 0:41:11Head gardener Douglas MacDonald was such a fixture here at Crathes,
0:41:11 > 0:41:14it seems only right to commemorate him.
0:41:15 > 0:41:19So I've gathered together National Trust for Scotland staff, gardeners,
0:41:19 > 0:41:23and woodturners to help me celebrate a place that has brought joy
0:41:23 > 0:41:26and inspiration to thousands of visitors,
0:41:26 > 0:41:32but also great happiness to families with a deeply personal connection.
0:41:34 > 0:41:38Sir James and Lady Sybil were the last in a long family line
0:41:38 > 0:41:41who poured their hearts into this beautiful garden,
0:41:41 > 0:41:43and who handed it over to the Trust
0:41:43 > 0:41:48knowing that it would be loved and cared for, for generations to come.
0:41:49 > 0:41:54Doug, your father was here for 44 years
0:41:54 > 0:41:58and he passed that challenge on to other gardeners.
0:41:58 > 0:42:03And Toby is now here to maintain that challenge.
0:42:03 > 0:42:08And in celebrating that, I thought it would be really nice to
0:42:08 > 0:42:12just leave a little something
0:42:12 > 0:42:16that connects gardeners with the land.
0:42:16 > 0:42:21And I'm hoping that this may speak to you in a very special way.
0:42:32 > 0:42:34While his dad's legacy lives on, for Doug,
0:42:34 > 0:42:36it's his memories of playing in the garden
0:42:36 > 0:42:41and parkland as a boy that mean everything in the world to him.
0:42:42 > 0:42:43It's heaven.
0:42:44 > 0:42:48It feels like home every time I come back here.
0:42:48 > 0:42:50Especially when I come up here.
0:42:50 > 0:42:54You just start to...bottle up.
0:42:54 > 0:42:56And you fill up.
0:42:56 > 0:43:00It's great. It's memories, memories, memories.
0:43:00 > 0:43:01It's fantastic.
0:43:01 > 0:43:05I wish I could live it all over again. I do.
0:43:07 > 0:43:11What a wonderful reminder of the powerful impact a garden can
0:43:11 > 0:43:15have on people's lives, as I've been lucky enough to see at all
0:43:15 > 0:43:18the fabulous places I've visited today.
0:43:18 > 0:43:21Now, that's got to be worth a toast.
0:43:21 > 0:43:24- To Scottish gardens! - ALL: To Scottish gardens. Cheers.