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Iwan and Manuela Wirth with two dogs in the woods Exterior of the Fife Arms hotel looking down on to the Clunie Water The entrance to the garden from the Fife Arms hotel A river winds through a rocky shoreline surrounded by dense green trees, with mountains rising in the background under a partly cloudy sky.
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A corner of a bed with a bedside table, lamp and red furnishings
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The entrance and chalkboard menu at Gordon's Tea Room Elsa's Cocktail Bar during the day, a large window in the centre, pink bar stools on the right next to the cocktail bar. A waitress shaking up a cocktail in Elsa's Cocktail Bar A Sunday roast on a table at The Clunie Dining Room A dram of whisky in Bertie's Whisky Bar
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A painting by Lucien Freud hung on an orange wall in the hotel reception The Richard Jackson 'Red Deer Chandelier' on view in the hotel reception A landscape drawing by James Prosek who was one of our first artists in residence Circle Of Pieter Brueghel The Younger (1564 – 1636) in painted room with tables and chairs
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A wild swimmer in the river Dee A Birdseye view of the river dee in Braemar, Aberdeenshire
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Drone shot of the exterior of the fife arms hotel, with mountains in the background
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Jenny Blom leading a tour of the Fife Arms garden

Blooming in Braemar

Gold Medallist Designer

Wildflowers in the Fife Arms garden

Running alongside the Clunie Water and hidden behind The Clunie Dining Room, you will discover The Fife Arms garden, designed by Chelsea Flower Show gold medallist Jinny Blom. Blom’s previous works include gardens for Laurent Perrier as well as HM King Charles III. Her vision was to design the garden as an extension of the landscape visible beyond the hotel, the mountainous hills and native plants and trees, such as rhododendrons, birch, azaleas and rowan. At the foot of the garden, guests can sit and enjoy the calming sounds of the Clunie River surrounded by a serene, colourful wild flower meadow.

Extension of the Landscape

Blom’s key priority for the design came from viewing the garden from a broad bay window in The Clunie Dining Room. As you look out on to the rear of the garden, you also see a glorious view of the Cairngorms National Park, and she wanted to blend and connect the garden to this stunning landscape. The Victorians had a passion for rock gardens, so Blom created winding pathways to echo the shapes of the hills beyond the hotel, resulting in a informal and rugged design.

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The steps down from the hotel into the garden
The garden in autumn
Native plants in the Fife Arms garden
Fife Arms farden filled with shrubs and trees in autumn colours next to a rustic building.

Planting Decisions

Every plant chosen for the Fife Arms garden has meaning behind it, with Blom combining a mix of exotic Victorian favourites with native Scottish classics, such as birch, Scots pine, bog myrtle and Himalayan cowslip.

The design speaks of both the local landscape and the Victorian love of Alpine-inspired escapes
The entrance to the garden from the Fife Arms hotel

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