About Gardens & Designed Landscapes

Gardens and designed landscapes enrich the texture and pattern of our landscapes and form a unique record of social, cultural and economic change through time. Many offer rich and varied habitats for nature conservation and can form critical repositories of rare or champion trees, shrubs and plant material. As a source of enjoyment, relaxation and learning, and a valuable network of green spaces, Scotland’s gardens and designed landscapes contribute to the well-being of local communities and have a big role to play in our tourism industry. They offer a superb educational resource in helping us to understand our distinctive landscape heritage and the repeating cycles of nature. Meanwhile, private historic estates often remain working landscapes, providing opportunities for employment and contributing to Scotland’s economy.

Like other elements of the historic environment, gardens and designed landscapes are a fragile and finite resource, vulnerable to a range of impacts from modern life that can damage them and diminish their value and potential. It is important that the most significant sites are identified and protected to ensure that their interest survives, and can be appreciated, in the future.