THE Linn Botanic Gardens near Cove have become the most recent addition to Historic Scotland's coveted Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes. The national inventory - which includes the likes of Edinburgh's Royal Botanic Gardens and Balmoral Castle, Aberdeenshire - is designed to raise awareness of listed gardens and assist in their protection and future management. The Linn - open all year round - is a rare example of a small, privately-owned garden which meets internationally agreed standards for a botanic garden collection, and is of outstanding horticultural importance as it contains an impressive collection of plant species from around the world - many of which are endangered in the wild or seldom seen in cultivation.

It was founded in 1971, when botanist and one-time lecturer at Trinity College Dublin, Dr Jim Taggart, bought the Linn Villa and set about transforming the steep and rocky garden grounds into a botanical garden.

The location proved ideal as the dramatic landform, together with the tempering influences of the Gulf Stream, provided the perfect environment for growing the rare and tender plants that Jim sourced from China, Peru and the Himalayas.

In 1997, his son James Taggart, assumed responsibility and ensured that the garden continued to grow and evolve.

He told the Advertiser: "I am very pleased that Linn Botanic Gardens have been listed in the inventory. "Having the extra recognition for my garden is important to me. A career as a garden curator requires future planning. Any additional support has to be welcomed with open arms. It is my wish that future generations can also share in the enjoyment of having the gardens that I have had and can continue to act as a benefit to the local area and beyond." Today, the Linn is well known for its tranquillity and lush landscapes with views of the Firth of Clyde and Loch Long.

A path guides visitors through a variety of beautiful garden scenes that include a New Zealand Alpine lawn, an exotic wood, a bamboo garden with 40 different kinds of bamboo and the Walk up the Glen that has been densely planted with rhododendrons, exotic climbers and Chinese Epimedium species. Welcoming the Botanic Garden to the Inventory, Elizabeth McCrone, Historic Scotland's head of Listing and Designed Landscapes said: "The Linn Botanic Gardens is of outstanding importance for its horticultural value, its value as a work of art, and for its historic and nature conservation value. "As a result, it is one of the best examples of its type and of national significance. The Inventory will ensure that the planning process takes into account the gardens significance when changes are proposed."