Rebel gardener faced down the authorities to make his dream come true

Finlay, who died in 2006, was a poet, writer, visual artist and gardener whose father, a bootlegger in the Bahamas, sent his son, then aged just six, to boarding school in Helensburgh.

In adult life Finlay worked at times as a labourer and shepherd in order to eke out the meagre living he made from his writing and his art and he was one of the founders of The Hawthorn Press, which was set up in 1961 to publish the works of undervalued poets.

It was when he and his wife Sue moved to the semi-derelict farm at Stonypath in 1966 that Finlay’s creative senses found an outlet in the landscape. As the couple dug out ponds and lochans, and planted fruit and vegetables, Finlay began to create works of art to sit amongst the plants.

Little Sparta House (Image: free)

These were inspired by classical Rome and Greece and by World War II, but as Finlay became locked into battles with Strathclyde Regional Council and the Scottish Arts Council over grants and taxes, his work became increasingly political, some of them drawing inspiration from the French Revolution as a symbol of freedom from authority.

The result of this potent mix of creativity and conflict is a garden filled with sculptures and carvings, that uses the backdrop of moors and hillsides to add a powerful sense of drama to the many different tableaus that Finlay created.

The first area to be developed was the original cottage garden in front of the house, where a large pond was excavated and from here Finlay moved out into the landscape to create, amongst others, a Roman Garden, a Temple Pool Garden and a Wild Garden. Beautifully-carved lettering, sometimes in Latin, sometimes in English, is a feature of much of the work and it provokes the viewer to contemplate nature and philosophy. Poetry features frequently and Finlay plays with words in ways that challenge their meanings.

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At the entrance gate stands the Memorial to the First Battle of Little Sparta, which commemorates the occasion when Finlay and supporters rebuffed the attempts of Sheriff's Officers to seize artworks during a dispute over rates. Subsequent skirmishes were less successful.

Stands of silver birch, clipped hedges, reeds and grasses are the planting palette and the repeated use of tough native plants, such as Hawthorn and willow, have helped to unite this complex garden, brimming over the ideas and ideologies, into its environment. Drystone walls and enclosures, beautifully executed and inscribed with references to both Virgil and his translator, Samuel Palmer, unite ancient Greece and the harsh world of Scotland’s traditional hill farmers.

A line of plinths, each bearing a relief of a battleship, their names disguised as anagrams, has the title ‘Camouflaged Flowers’ and is a reference to the Flower class corvettes given by the British Navy to America on its entry into the war. The ships were renamed by the USA before going into service, while across the gardens sundials of all sizes abound, each one carved with a philosophical legend.

Everywhere there are reminders that Finlay was, at his heart, a poet who had his hands in the soil and his head in the stars and the garden that he created at Little Sparta is a tribute both to those who work the land and those whose writings and actions down the millennia have illuminated our ideas about human existence.

Little Sparta House (Image: free)

Details: Little Sparta is open Thursday - Sunday, 12 noon until 4pm, until 29 September.

Tickets: £11/£10/£7/free (under 3) Tel: 01899 810711 contact@littlesparta.org.uk www.littlesparta.org.uk. Little Sparta is off Dunsyre Road, six miles east of Carnwath, and four miles from the junction with the A721. Access to the garden is via a 10-minute walk along a farm track. Disabled access, and the use of a mobility scooter, can be organised by contacting the garden in advance.

In association with Discover Scottish Gardens www.discoverscottishgardens.org.uk