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Arduaine Garden

Arduaine, Oban PA34 4XQ, Scotland
0844 493 2216
Website
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Ranked #1 of 12 attractions in Oban
Type: Gardens
Owner description: Arduaine is a wonderfully moist and mossy coastal garden, influenced beneficially by the North Atlantic Drift and enjoyed by enthusiasts from all over... more » Owner description: Arduaine is a wonderfully moist and mossy coastal garden, influenced beneficially by the North Atlantic Drift and enjoyed by enthusiasts from all over the world. Twenty acres of outstanding woodland plants include not only a major rhododendron species collection with a leaning towards the more tender, but also all the usual spring-flowering favourites such as camellia, pieris, azalea and magnolia. Other trees and shrubs take the flowering season on into the autumn along with an inspiring miscellany of bulbs, perennials, climbers, water plants and ferns, many rare and unusual, many down to earth and familiar, all interesting and beautiful in their diverse ways. A spectacular coastal and island panorama can be enjoyed from the easily accessible cliff top viewpoint. Visitors are welcome every day and will find something of interest throughout the year, come rain or shine. « less
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54 reviews from our community

Visitor rating
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Date Rating
scotland
Reviewer
5 reviews 5 reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 10 May 2013

My husband and I visited Arduaine on a fairly wet and miserable day, but the weather couldn't dampen our enjoyment of the gardens! They are simply beautiful, well laid out, bursting with colour and interest at this time of year. During a brief break in the clouds, we enjoyed sitting out at the vantage point with its beautiful coastal views.... More

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See 2 more reviews by audsScotland for Oban
Maurice W, Property Manager/Head Gardener at Arduaine Garden, responded to this review
11 May 2013

If we could do something about the weather for you, we would! There was a time when May and June were the driest and sunniest months of the year on the west coast, but unfortunately not this year! I'm so glad that you enjoyed the garden in spite of the rain - spring has sprung, I believe, and the rhododendrons... More

Ipswich, United Kingdom
Reviewer
4 reviews 4 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
7 helpful votes 7 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 9 May 2013

Visited on a very blustery day, and the sheltered nature of the gardens was a welcome restbite. Easy to follow maps available free of charge after entering gardens.

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Maurice W, Property Manager/Head Gardener at Arduaine Garden, responded to this review
10 May 2013

Thank you for writing a review - it's always appreciated! Arduaine is generally quite a sheltered place considering its location on the west coast, except when we are hit from an unusual direction - we suffered an easterly gale a week before Easter this year which brought down several big trees and created a great deal of mess. It's been... More

Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Reviewer
3 reviews 3 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 9 May 2013

Visited in April and we loved it. Well laid out with fun map guides for the kids with the option of two walks - a shorter one and a longer one around the whole garden. The map had loads of interesting facts for the kids encouraging them to follow the colour coded numbered signposts featuring a fun cartoon midgie character.... More

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Maurice W, Property Manager/Head Gardener at Arduaine Garden, responded to this review
10 May 2013

We love having children here at Arduaine so it's very rewarding when visitors such as yourselves find our Kids' Guide useful! We've even had adults borrowing a copy and returning to say how much they've learnt from it! My daughter did a lot of the early work on this and it's been modified and expanded over the years. At the... More

Darlington, United Kingdom
Senior Contributor
41 reviews 41 reviews
6 attraction reviews
Reviews in 22 cities Reviews in 22 cities
29 helpful votes 29 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 6 May 2013

What a really good collection of Rhododendron species including arboreals. Beautiful location. Good tender plants as one would expect from a garden on the West coast of Scotland.

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Maurice W, Property Manager/Head Gardener at Arduaine Garden, responded to this review
9 May 2013

Glad to hear that you enjoyed your visit. Yes, we do have a good rhododendron species collection, more extensive than is often realised. We have a particularly good number of Maddenia species and hybrids, those tender scented plants more often seen under glass in this country, but which all survive outside here. I am hoping to be able to explain... More

London, United Kingdom
Contributor
18 reviews 18 reviews
Reviews in 10 cities Reviews in 10 cities
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 23 April 2013

It was early spring and the Rhodies we just coming into flower but it's a very pleasant spot for a wander and there are some nice views over the sea.

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Maurice W, Property Manager/Head Gardener at Arduaine Garden, responded to this review
30 April 2013

It's been a slow spring this year but in spite of the still cool weather things are getting into their stride now. Rhododendrons and camellias are flowering well and magnolias just about to burst! Visitors are often caught out by the fact that we are an early garden in spite of our northerly location - it's being north-west that counts!... More

East Kilbride
Contributor
14 reviews 14 reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
7 helpful votes 7 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 8 April 2013

Popped in here today as I was in the area on business! Beautiful garden with the signs of Spring beginning to show, awesome "Skunk Cabbage" I think it is called, and the Rhododendrons are just beginning to burst open, many other little perennials breaking into life and some gorgeous camellias too!

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Maurice W, Property Manager/Head Gardener at Arduaine Garden, responded to this review
12 April 2013

Well Rootsie, thank you for your review! Spring is certainly taking its time in showing itself this year and conditions have changed considerably since your recent visit. It looks as though we're in for a period of rain which is so desperately needed - something we don't often say here! Soon, I hope, the garden will take on a more... More

Lincolnshire
Reviewer
5 reviews 5 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 5 April 2013

Tranquil, good views , inexpensive. Even in April well worth a visit. Well done National Trust of Scotland

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Maurice W, Property Manager/Head Gardener at Arduaine Garden, responded to this review
8 April 2013

Thank you very much for taking the time to send a review! I'm glad that you enjoyed your visit and hope you will come back another time. It's not been the easiest spring so far - a heavy frost on 11th March put paid to the many rhododendrons that were taking a chance and flowering early and then an easterly... More

Glasgow, United Kingdom
Contributor
18 reviews 18 reviews
9 attraction reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
8 helpful votes 8 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 18 March 2013

What a beautiful garden with some interesting features and and incredible array of bird life. Twitchers should mark this on their list of places to visit as well as gardeners. We heard a Woodpecker which was a real treat. Check the viewpoints too, they're lovely and one has a sturdy seat on which to relax and reflect. There is a... More

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Maurice W, Property Manager/Head Gardener at Arduaine Garden, responded to this review
20 March 2013

So glad that you enjoyed your visit to Arduaine Garden. Strangely we've had one of the mildest and driest winters on record - except for a shock minus 7.5 degrees a couple of weekends ago, which unfortunately rather did for all the wonderful rhododendrons which were unwisely flowering very early this year! Not to worry - there are plenty more... More

Hornsea, United Kingdom
Senior Contributor
23 reviews 23 reviews
14 attraction reviews
Reviews in 9 cities Reviews in 9 cities
6 helpful votes 6 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 15 January 2013

We visited these gardens last May when the weather was absolutely fantastic so really saw this area at its best, did the walks through the woods to the viewing points which were beautiful,went out onto the little beach area too so peaceful and tucked out of the way it was lovely. The gardens themselves are so diverse in the different... More

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See 7 more reviews by Vanda M for Oban
Maurice W, Property Manager/Head Gardener at Arduaine Garden, responded to this review
18 January 2013

Always good to hear that someone has enjoyed their visit to Arduaine! The garden may be at its best in the spring but we have a plant collection that flowers right through until autumn and beyond - we have several rhododendrons in flower right now, 18th January, in spite of frost and a biting cold wind! Please do come back... More

Senior Contributor
30 reviews 30 reviews
4 attraction reviews
Reviews in 25 cities Reviews in 25 cities
65 helpful votes 65 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 13 January 2013

We combined this with the open top bus tour out of Oban, which takes you on a scenic ride to Ellenabeich. The tour ticket works as a day rover on West Highland Motors bus services, so we got the open top bus driver to drop us at Kilninver on the way back and caught the ordinary bus to Arduaine (it... More

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Maurice W, Property Manager/Head Gardener at Arduaine Garden, responded to this review
16 January 2013

I'm glad you managed to visit Arduaine on public transport - it can be done! I once tried to persuade West Coast Motors to extend their open top bus service to Arduaine and possibly on to Kilmartin, but they told me that it was not possible for a number of reasons. I hope you thought it worth your while to... More

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