V. opulus ‘Xanthocarpum’

Zesty alchemilla teams with swathes of pinks and purples for the perfect early-summer look

trailer-load!” says Pam, rather gleefully. “We’re also lucky to have plenty of space, so we heap up cuttings and prunings and leave them to rot, which is a good source of home-made compost.”

Hedges divide the upper and lower sections of garden, and the garden from the meadow; many designed as windbreaks on this blustery site. Yet the now-mature garden at Hall Farm isn’t allowed to stand still for long. “We’ve recently taken some of the hedges out again and put in several new paths, too!” laughs Pam. “The pond has just been converted into a bog garden, which has worked really well. It was leaking and I couldn’t keep up with sealing the cracks, so we filled it up with old compost and whatever was lying around, and planted it up – it’s moist with plenty of drainage and the plants love it.”

The once-thriving nursery might now be history, but for Pam old habits die hard. “It’s not a manicured garden by any stretch of the imagination, there’s just not enough time to keep it immaculate,” she declares, “but I like to grow lots of plants rather than buying them in – you know what you’ve got that way. I’m fond of annuals, but this year I’ve sown far too many. It’s been so dry – it’s like planting into dust!”

Although summer is in full spate and the annuals are making merry while they may, the couple have longer-term projects afoot, including an intriguing ornamental woodland. “Roy Lancaster came to give a talk to the Hardy Plant Society and his advice was, ‘why go for ordinary plants when you can get something special and interesting?’” reveals Pam, ‘so I’ve been experimenting with extraordinary shrubs and trees; it’s currently quite wild, but it will be lovely!”

Lovely white, lacecap flowers with notable bright yellow, translucent berries from autumn. Amenable bush for full sun to full shade. H & S: 4m (13ft).