Description:In memory of Sarah Robinson. Entrance archway with steps leading to peaceful 1-acre naturalistic garden on S-facing slope of clay. Mature trees and shrubs, several colourful herbaceous borders and island beds. Many roses, hemerocallis and ornamental grasses, small wild flower meadow with orchids, fruit and vegetable area and natural-looking pond

Further details:Originally part of a larger estate, this 1-acre garden had reverted to nature by the time we arrived in 1993. Situated on a south-facing slope with views to the South Downs, the soil is predominantly heavy clay and prone to serious water-logging over the Winter. This, together with the abundance of rabbits in the surrounding fields, made restoring the garden to something resembling normality rather difficult.The rabbits were mostly defeated by enclosing the entire garden within a high chicken wire fence. They were then replaced by deer, which were in turn defeated by an even higher 'stock fence'. The clay? well, we are still working on that. Mature Oaks, fine specimens of Willow, Birch, Parottia Persica, Acer and Liquidambar, along with various mature shrubs - wild Azaleas, Cornus and Escallonia - survive from the original garden and provide the main framework. Camelias, Rhododendrons, evergreen and deciduous Azaleas have been added, providing colour for the Spring, early Summer and Autumn. The main summer colour is provided by the many herbaceous borders and island beds containing a mix of perennials - Alliums, Lupins, Poppies, as well as numerous varieties of Hemerocallis, ornamental grass, Rose and Clematis. Wild orchids colonising part of the garden have been augmented with numerous other wild flowers and incorporated into a small wild flower meadow. This is now a favourite with the local butterfly and bee population. A number of small fruit trees, along with a couple of Fruit Cages and Vegetable beds, are now providing produce throughout the Summer and early Autumn. Undergrowth in the small wooded area along the boundary has been removed to provide a wild, wooded path, enabling easier access to view the various woodland plants. The old dew pond, which once dried out in Summer, has been lined and now contains water lilies and other aquatic and marginal plants. There is also the odd gold (or now more accurately, because of natural selection resulting from heron attack, black) fish as well as a passing wild duck or two. The areas around the pond, which remain relatively damp throughout most years, have been planted with a variety of moisture loving plants such as Primula, Astilbe and Hosta. The result of our efforts to date has been the creation of a peaceful and relaxing garden where all the trials and tribulations of everyday life can be fogotten