 
The garden, which comprises about 1/3 acre, is set in the gentle countryside of south Cumbria and is surrounded by fields and woodland. Our aim, since moving here in 1997, has been to develop a garden that is in keeping with its surroundings and welcoming to wildlife, as well as providing a sense of tranquillity and a place of beauty. For us, a garden is not just a place to sit out or entertain in the summer. We wanted a garden that would provide pleasure throughout the year. With this in mind, we have not only planted most areas with a view to a long season of interest, but have also created areas of the garden specifically to provide colour and pleasure during the autumn and winter months.
As plant-lovers rather than garden designers we try to find a home for any interesting plant that appeals to us. This poses its own challenges, and in order to create a sense of unity we have tried to make use of certain key colours and “signature” plants, both within each area and to provide a link with the rest of the garden. We are trying to garden on organic lines and without the use of pesticides and fungicides. This means that we do get black spot on our roses and regularly have problems with capsid bug damage. On the plus side, the aphid population seems now to be well under control thanks to the more welcome wildlife, and our frogs, toads and thrushes do their bit in the battle against slugs and snails, which love the moist climate and the shelter of our drystone walls. We hope that you will enjoy your “virtual” tour of the garden and be inspired to visit us on one of our NGS open days. Linda and Alec Greening
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