Crathes Castle is famous for it’s unusual yew topiary designs known as ‘decanters’. The yew hedging was laid out in 1702/1703. The castle itself was built in the 16th Century by the Burnetts of Leys and owned by them for almost 400 years. The land was given to the family by King Robert the Bruce in 1323. Today it is owned and managed by the National Trust for Scotland.
Within the wider grounds of the castle there are some fine specimens of yews. Down in a damp woodland environment once known as the cow pond is a large female layering yew. Another female yew on the woodland walk has some unusual girdled root growth at it’s base. And on some small cliffs there are some phoenix yews with some astounding morphology (see photos). See NTS Crathes Castle .
