“There are surprises round every corner”

With its knot garden, Oriental courtyard, woodland and herbaceous borders, this cottage garden is full of intrigue. Jim and Mima Bolton show us around

With its knot garden, Oriental courtyard, woodland and herbaceous borders, this cottage garden is full of intrigue

This pretty cottage garden reaches its floriferous peak in July, when the lush herbaceous borders burst into bloom. Plants such as hypericums, achillea, monarda, echinacea, ligularia and phlox offer a sumptuous palette of colour, alongside ornamental grasses such as Stipa gigantea and Miscanthus sinensis ‘Cosmopolitan’. “We designed the garden as a series of rooms,” explains owner Jim Bolton of its layout. “There’s a knot garden in the front, a quarter-acre woodland garden, mixed herbaceous borders, a kitchen garden and an Oriental courtyard at the back. Each room offers a unique experience, to create an interesting journey around the garden.” Jim and his wife Mima moved to their cottage 40 years ago, keen to put their own stamp on the garden. “There really wasn’t much going on when we first arrived,” says

“Each room offers a unique experience, to create an interesting journey”

Jim. “There were climbing roses in the front, some bluebells, elder trees and an old orchard with a few fruit trees. But we were happy to transform it ourselves – we’d bought the land with the express intention of creating a new garden from scratch.” Initally, the top of the garden was quite exposed. “Wind was one of the primary problems,” says Jim. “We created shelter banks for protection. Then, once the garden rooms were laid out, we started planting trees and shrubs, many of which have now reached 9-12m (30-40ft).” The light, sandy soil presented another challenge. “We had to replace some plants that weren’t doing so well,” says Jim. “Achilleas and monardas coped well with