2 days ago
They call it Scotland's most romantic garden - I fell in love with it
Here, enclosed within high walls, is a rose garden like no other. It is the work of the appropriately-named Rose Foyle, who fell in love with the flower as a child and who has filled the grounds of her Georgian home with such extravagant numbers of them that in early summer the garden takes on a dream-like quality.
The roses at Carolside tumble from heavy rope swags, they climb the walls and spill from the borders, where they mingle in cottage-garden profusion with lady's mantle, sweet peas, artichokes and strawberries.
Hardly an inch of soil is visible beneath the dense planting while the roses that scramble up arches add to the feeling of being totally immersed in flowers.
Carolside in the Borders (Image: unknown)
Not only do the roses look beautiful, but the scent is almost overpowering and the colours of the perennials that surround them, including the tall spikes of blue delphiniums and the sky blue flowers of Campanula persicifolia 'Cornish Mist' have been carefully selected to blend with the soft shades of roses that Rose Foyle prefers.
Most of the roses are pre-1900 Gallicas. These 'French' roses, which are the ones grown by the Empress Josephine at Malmaison near Paris, are actually native to Turkey and the group includes the Apothecary's rose 'Rosa gallica Officionalis' and the pink striped Rosa mundi, or 'Versicolour', while one of the most prolific roses to grow in the garden is the exuberant rambler 'Paul's Himalayan Musk'.
This is a remarkably vigorous plant, which can grow up to 12 metres in length and so is only found in gardens which can give it space to spread. It produces an abundance of sprays of tiny pink flowers that give off the strong, musky fragrance that gives it its name.
The roses at Carolside (Image: unknown)
Despite being in a heavy frost pocket, Carolside's roses are strong and healthy and they thrive on the free-draining soil thanks to regular applications of compost which gives them the richness and nutrients that they need.
Careful pruning early in the year helps to encourage good growth and an abundance of flower buds while the shelter provided by the walls prevents the flowers from being damaged by high winds.
Set at the far end of the garden is a range of heritage greenhouses, filled with pelargoniums and other hot-house plants, while the lawn close to the house, where teas are served on special open days, is edged with tall grasses which give this part of the garden a more contemporary feel.
Outside of the walled garden the mood is more restrained, with a herb garden, smooth lawns and clipped box hedging, while the wooded slopes that surround the house create a natural amphitheatre.
Details
Carolside is 35 miles from Edinburgh, one mile north of Earlston on the A68. Carolside is open on Saturdays and Sundays until September 1, 11am - 5pm. Tickets: £8/children under 16 free.
Tel: 01896 849272
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