Stonley - Kimbolton, Cambridgeshire 

The story so far... This garden is being made over the course of the year and from work carried out just one day a week. Work began mid-February.

 The garden had been neglected for the past 20+ years. Almost all the trees were thin self set Blackthorn that had grown poorly and were dangerously over hanging the boundary. All the existing Elms, Oaks and safe Blackthorn were kept, over hanging limbs were removed and the rest tidied up. The hedge was thinned and squared up. Once this was done, the big job of Ivy removal could start. Having been neglected for so long, almost all of the ground was thick with roots allowing nothing else to grow. A trellis separated the garden from the parking area but unfortunitely this had to be removed as it was rotten, thick with dead rambling wild roses and over grown shrubs. A new fence was put in its place with wires and a mix of Clematis, Honeysuckle, Jasmin, fragrant roses and climbing Hydrangea planted to eventually create a screen of scented plants.

A herbaceous border was created against the house in a raised bed built from reclaimed bricks found on site. The original cobbled path was beyond repair, covered in mud and uneven. After much deliberation, the decision was made to remove the cobbles, level the ground and put down a gravel path with the idea being that over the ears, plants will self seed along the edge, softening the wall.

Stone slabs that were unearthed in the garden were repositioned in the lawn leading up to the house, across the gravel path with the largest stone placed as a door step.