How we select sites for the Inventory Gardens and designed
landscapes are defined as grounds that are consciously laid out
for artistic effect. This broad definition includes many
different kinds of site ranging from the grounds around a
historic country house, to botanic garden collections, urban
parks, small plantsman’s gardens and even some cemeteries. Most
frequently represented in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed
Landscapes in Scotland, however, are the policies associated
with an important house or castle, developed by country
landowners for both pleasure and productive purposes. Inventory
sites usually exhibit a combination of different features such
as built structures, planting, open grounds, landforming, water
management, archaeological remains and natural landscape
features, all of which may contribute to the value of a site.
Some of these elements may be important enough to be designated
in their own right by Historic Scotland as listed buildings or
scheduled monuments, or by Scottish Natural