A team is working on the transformation of Glamis Castle’s gardens ahead of the tourist season.
Head gardener Jamie McCarthy, who took up his post in September, has built a wildlife pond and is making two new gardens in the estate’s walled garden.
Mr McCarthy, 44, is from Glasgow and served with 1st Battalion the Scots Guards.
Working closely with the Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, he is now busy on a Chinese garden, which takes its inspiration from a Monet painting, and a wildlife garden.
He is also working on the Italian garden, which was laid out by Countess Cecilia, ahead of the opening on April 3.
He said: “I started gardening when I was 12 years old, planting carrots and potatoes on my dad’s allotment. Gardening is in my blood.
“When I was leaving the army, I knew I wanted to go back to gardening.
“I was head gardener at Inveraray Castle for five years. When I inherited it, it was tired so we took out the old and planted the new.”