WITH its dazzling colours, distinctive giant rhubarb with leaves as wide as an eagle’s wingspan and 230-year-old potting shed, Geilston Garden in Cardross has enthralled visitors for years.
Despite having won tourism awards for its impressive horticultural features the doors to Geilston Garden’s colourful walled area, and its pretty meadow maze and flourishing kitchen plot, may be about to close for good.
The National Trust for Scotland has confirmed it is “considering the future” of Geilston Garden amid concerns that it is making crippling losses of £85,000 every year. 
The organisation has started contacting staff, volunteers and community organisations warning that the garden’s future is in doubt, while a feasibility study is looking into the Trust’s options.
The 200-year-old garden, three miles from Helensburgh, is the former estate of the late Elizabeth Hendry, who bequeathed it and accompanying Geilston House to the Trust in 1991.
Her long-time companion, Miss Bell, was given a right to occupy the house until her death and in 1997 it was given over to the Trust.
The extensive gardens, with their recently restored 40ft MacKenzie & Moncur glasshouse, tranquil woodland walks, a burn edged with stunning Siberian iris and Japanese azaleas, and small waterfalls, opened to the public while the house was mothballed.
Now volunteers and locals fear the entire estate could fall into the hands of private developers, heralding the loss of the gardens to visitors.
Keith Halstead, the National Trust for Scotland’s Head of Special Projects, said: “Many people will know that there are longstanding issues at Geilston which need to be resolved.
“The property loses £85,000 every year, which is unsustainable to our charity, and we do not think that it will be possible to turn this around while the garden is managed and configured as it is.”
He said that the house now has significant structural problems, including water ingress and dry rot. Parts of the property, however, were used by film-makers in 2015 who used some rooms as sets for the recent remake of the Ealing classic Whisky Galore!
The results of the feasibility study are to be put to the Board of Trustees by October.
Mr Halstead added: “We are being realistic as to what the options may be but we are also open, honest and upfront about the fact that the status quo is untenable.
“If the house is to be saved, we may have to think about its conversion to other uses. This may mean working with third parties and possibly some form of enabling development within, or next to, the existing footprint of buildings and infrastructure to make this stack up financially.”
Local volunteers and members of the community have formed Friends of Geilston House and Garden group, as they are worried the entire property will fall into private hands. 
Allison Hillis, a Trust volunteer and group spokeswoman, called for the three aspects of the property – the house, garden and estate – to remain in their entirety.
She said:  “They form a unique setting. It would be a great pity if a peaceful gem of a garden which is enjoyed by members and public alike should fall into the hands of a private individual or developer. 
“There are not many Trust properties on the west coast of Scotland.  Each individual property plays a very important part to the attractiveness of the whole. 
“Geilston is an attractive stop on the route of the ‘Three Lochs Way” and compliments a visit to Hill House in Helensburgh.”
The house contents have been in storage for 12 years. They are to be disposed of and either offered to the community, put up for sale or offered to charities for the homeless.
Geilston Gardens holds a gold award from the Green Tourism Business Scheme and is a four-star Scottish Tourist Board attraction.  Among the garden’s treasures is a cannon said to have been brought there from the battle of Corunna in Galicia in 1809 by Major General Geils, a previous owner of Geilston. The potting shed dates from 1797 and features a secret window overlooking the glen, while in spring the woodland is carpeted with anemones and bluebells. 
The Trust said it was primarily focused on the future of Geilston House, though whatever solution emerges for its future may well affect the garden too. Mr Halstead stressed the Trust was “keen to find options that work for everyone”.
Fears for Geilston Gardens come amid concerns in Edinburgh over the future of another National Trust for Scotland property. 
Seventeenth-century Gladstone’s Land, in the Royal Mile, is just yards from the entrance of Edinburgh Castle, but unimpressive visitor figures have led to a plan to close much of the historic property to visitors. The rooms, with impressive painted ceilings, are to be used instead as tourist accommodation.