Meet Des Cotton
As Head Gardener, Des Cotton has a varied and exceptionally busy job looking after the sprawling gardens at Glamis Castle. Here, Des shares what it’s like looking after some of the most beautiful and iconic gardens in the area.
What do you do at Glamis Castle?
“As the Head Gardener, I’m not just in charge of the formal gardens. The whole area is considered to be gardens, from the gate, avenue and front lawns to the woodlands and Pinetum as well, so the gardening team take care to nurture all these areas. It’s extremely varied.”
What is here for visitors to enjoy in the grounds and gardens?
“It really depends on who the audience is. There’s lots of wildlife, there’s the history of the Walled Garden and a wide range of plants, from massive Douglas firs to vegetables and perennials and shrubs. As a garden it’s still being developed but it’s a fantastic family day out as well. There’s lots of open space to run around, places to play and to hide like in the maze. I’d say our gardens are a must during the holidays if you’re in the area.”
How does your job change seasonally?
“My work is split into two seasons: winter work and summer work. Our summer work is all about maintaining the gardens – grass cutting, pruning the borders and weeding. That consumes a lot of time making sure everything looks well presented. When that all dies down, we move onto development work in the winter, bringing the garden forward and changing the landscape for visitors to enjoy season after season.”
What would you say is unique about what you do?
“It’s the privilege of where I work and the link that I’ve built with my workplace. I’m originally from Arbroath and it was my first job within the gardens at House Of Dun in Montrose that convinced me that this was the kind of work I wanted to do.”
Do you have a favourite spot in all the gardens?
“It depends what mood I’m in, but my mind automatically jumps to The Walled Garden as I’ve always like walled gardens and the stories behind them. There’s more history there than probably anywhere else certainly from a gardener’s point of view. It’s got loads of different elements to it, so it has a nice feel.”
What’s your favourite part of your job?
“Developing new areas. Recently I’ve enjoyed sub-dividing The Walled Garden into a garden within a garden within a garden to add a bit of intrigue into the space. On the same note, I’m excited about a completely new space I’m opening up called the Dell which is a woodland full of snowdrops.”
What’s your proudest achievement in your time at Glamis?
There’s three things. Firstly, continuing to enhance the level of presentation of the gardens to what they are today. The second thing would be the development of the vegetable garden. We try and grow a wide range of most vegetables: asparagus, rhubarb, all the brassicas, salad crops and then there’s a bit of fruit in there too, apples mainly. I’m actually going to start developing a fruit garden to pair with the vegetable garden so it will be right next to it. The third thing is The Macbeth Trail in that it has more to explore and pulls people into the area and making it more of a visitor attraction.”
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