Sir Alexander Seton, Lord Pitmeddon founded the Great Garden.  The garden, with its pavilions and fountains and manicured look, was established by Sir Alexander Seton in 1675, with it's magnificent Formal geometric garden within a walled square and divided into four. One of the quarters has a floral saltire and thistle, and the coat-of-arms of the Setons, Lairds of Pitmedden. Another has a sundial and floral depiction of the well-known Latin dictum, tempus fugit. One of the notable features is the eastern half of the square modelled on the Charles II garden at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.

The house itself had been badly damaged by fire in 1818 but was rebuilt during the 1860's. Today, only the north wing contains visible fragments of the 17th century grand dwelling. It has been well documented that the fire caused the destruction of family portraits, papers and the, all important, plans of the original layout of the Garden. Indeed, the Trust is still keen to discover references to, or sketches of Seton's Great Garden in its earlier years.

The Keith family bought the Pitmedden Estate at auction in 1894. Major James Keith CBE (1879 - 1953) was one of the country's most influential agricultural improvers of his time, with a desire to combine traditional farming methods with the increasing sophistication of mechanical engineering. A shrewd businessman, keen to increase productivity, Keith successfully evolved his own style of farming. His expectations of his Garden would surely have matched those of his many farms so it is of no surprise that what the Trust inherited in 1952 was a magnificent working market garden producing fruit and vegetables in abundance

Major Keith, in a single act of munificence in 1952, presented to the National Trust for Scotland the Pitmedden Estate comprising the house, the walled garden, ancillary buildings, 100 acres of woodland and farmland, together with an endowment fund to provide for its upkeep. In 1978 the Trustees of William Cook of Little Meldrum, Tarves presented to the Trust the extensive collection of agricultural and domestic artifacts which Mr. Cook had amassed in his lifetime.

The Great Garden of Pitmedden has been celebrating fifty years in the care of the National Trust for Scotland in 2002. Pitmedden is situated in the heart of rural North-East Aberdeenshire, 15 miles north of the "granite city" Aberdeen. It is no coincidence therefore, that this magnificent Grade A listed Walled Garden was created using the finest granite.  The Garden has been lovingly restored by the National Trust. Pitmedden House also has a museum of family life, a collection of farming tools and domestic utensils, and there are woodland walks on the 100 acre estate, as well as an exhibition on Formal gardens.