Postman plants his bungalow garden firmly on tourist trail

BOREDOM in retirement often encourages people to pick up a new hobby, but in Geoff Stonebanks’s case his pastime has turned into an obsession.

The former Royal Mail manager took up gardening seven years ago, shortly after taking early retirement. Now the grounds of his seaside bungalow are so remarkable they welcome thousands of paying visitors every year, raising tens of thousands for charity.

The plot, in Seaford, East Sussex – which measures just 82ft by 48ft – ranks second only to the famous Seven Sisters white cliffs among local visitor attractions on travel site TripAdvisor.

“After I first opened the garden I started getting the bug – it is a lovely feeling when people say you have got a wonderful garden,” Mr Stonebanks said. “That got me on to the treadmill and it has all spiralled from there.”

Mr Stonebanks feeds each of his thousands of plants by hand, and spends around £2,500 on new blooms annually. The 63-year-old’s partner Mark, a dyslexia specialist teacher and artist, has had to forego his annual summer holiday so Mr Stonebanks can garden full-time between May and September.

Mr Stonebanks’s records show he has chalked up nearly 14,000 visitors since 2009, selling 5,450 drinks and 5,550 portions of cake. He has donated £74,200 to charity from his proceeds.

“I’m a perfectionist,” he said. “I don’t like to open the garden unless it is the best it can be. I work harder now than I did when I was working – and I worked really hard then.” Geoff Stonebanks’s garden draws in thousands of visitors every year and has become one of the biggest tourist attractions in Sussex