Create a country style garden

Most gardens evolve over years, but to create something really knockout you must have a plan. This glorious country landscape has both histories. What began as  a conventional family backyard suddenly doubled in size when its owners bought the block next door. The second time around, everything was perfectly planned. The result is a glorious garden filled with inspired design ideas for spaces large and small.

One of the secrets to creating an alluring garden is to reveal it slowly. The twisting paths lead you to one discovery after another – from unusual sculptures to surprise plantings.

Columbines create instant cottage charm and an abundance of colour in spring.

Bearded iris blooms bring fabulous late spring colour, appearing around November when most early blossoms and bulbs have faded.

This standard specimen is actually a miniature form of the beautiful maidenhair tree, Ginkgo biloba ‘Mariken’.

A shocking pink helianthemum revels in a sunny spot like this.

This garden takes a pretty turn, featuring square hedges of Euonymus ‘Tom Thumb’, edged with mondo grass and filled with cut-leaf Japanese maples.

The weeping form of the swamp cypress (Taxodium distichum ‘Cascade Falls’) thrives in wet soils, making it perfect for a spot beside a garden pond or stream.