8. Manderley (NEW)

We purchased what was Blundens Farm in 1997 It had been a disused farmyard for 10 years and was in a pretty poor state. After demolishing the corrugated iron barns we were left with 4 wooden barns and an expanse of bare soil and concrete. The barns were made good, and a new house was built. We moved in in May 1998 and renamed the house Manderley.

I was very busy with my 4 young children in our early years here, but once they had grown and I had more time on my hands I turned my attention to the garden. 

A garden with a path and a walkway

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The backbone structure of the garden is provided by the many laurel and box hedges and an abundance of roses which are added to each year. The roses are not just a feast for the eyes, a walk through the rose arch when in full bloom gives off the most incredible scent and is one of the many joys I look forward to in the garden calendar.

The Heart Garden is a place that’s very special to me and is named for the four heart shaped beds surrounding the fountain (one for each of my children). This part of the garden rings the changes, the beds are crammed full of Daffodils, then Tulips, then Alliums and then the Roses, Verbena and most recently I added Echinacea and Dahlias.

A garden with a fountain and hedges

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A house with a lawn and trees

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I absolutely love mowing so there are large areas of lawn, the biggest area of which is known fondly as the paddock, still called after the area where my lovely neighbour Joan Andrews taught, what I’m sure must have been hundreds of local children to ride horses when this was a farm. I’ve added a few trees and my greenhouse sits happily tucked in the corner, the perfect place to get the full benefit of the views.

A large tree in a grassy area

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It is a garden born not from any real knowledge or know-how but from hours and hours of trial and error spent in this my happy place. The planting is created more from what takes my fancy and colour pairings rather than any great knowledge of what should go where and when. 

Each year I take hundreds of photos and then mull over what I can improve on for next year. I don’t have a gardener, except someone who comes twice a year to cut the tall laurel hedges, the rest is just me, and so, it is where I spend most of my time and I love it.

A garden with a swing in the background

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I have been asked before to open the garden but have never done so, partly I think because it’s not finished yet, but then a garden is never finished, that’s what makes them so special.

A driveway with a house and flowers

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