Queen's Rock Garden

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 145, 16 December 1933, Page 19

Queen's Rock Garden

Visitors to Balmoral Castle who drive down the magnificent avenue of conifers, silver spruces, and cedars, always catch their breath at the sudden sight near the Castle walls of a rOck garden ablaze with flowers (states a London correspondent). This is the garden planned by the Queen to suit the dry and sandy soil of the Highlands, and it is the glory of Balmoral. The Queen designed a big semi-circular garden, banked up with grey rock and sloping down to a tiny green lawn and a pool in the centre. There are two entrances, each guarded

by a simple iron gate, and on one gate are the initials of H-ho Queen/and on the other those of the King. Visitors walk down a shallow flight of stone steps and then gaze up around them, at the show of Alpine plants—some of them sent by Queen Maud. One end of this long garden is near the stone tower of Balmoral, upon which, of course, flies the flag when the King and Queen arc-in residence, and from which come the chimes that divide up the Royal days. The head gardener naturally arranges that this should be an autumn rock garden rather than a summer one, so that it may be in full bloom on the arrival of the Queen at tho end of August. ■ The Queen gave special permission tr a woman artist, Miss Flora Pilkington, to sketch this garden before the arrival of the Court this year. She is the only artist who has been allowed to paint both the Balmoral and Sandringham gardens. At the same time, Miss Pilkington did sketches of the Wade Bridge over the Dee, which is shut to the public when the King and Queen are at Balmoral.