‘From our MORNING COFFEE to our EVENING DRINK, we love it out here’

and added narrow piano key stone paving to lead the way easily over the shingle to the bike shed and hidden bin store.

Passing beneath the large blue-leaved eucalyptus with its fabulous peeling bark, the front path meanders up to the zingy yellow front door, a colour Sarah loves to reflect with spring-flowering euphorbias, fennel and Dicentra ‘Gold Heart’. Her bold use of colour is inspired by her original training as a fashion designer, and she admits to passing passions for certain shades. In summer, she prefers an orangey palette with bursts of purple.

Despite being located by the seaside, Whitstable is built on heavy yellow clay and sees very little rain come winter or summer, so gardening here presents a particular set of challenges. ‘The big trees that I really love take up most of the winter moisture,’ explains Sarah. ‘I water the vegetable beds and pots regularly, but the rest of the garden has to take its chances. I find it helps to always plant in autumn rather than spring, and I mulch with my own compost

– but nevertheless it is a dry garden.’

The sheltered back garden is home to a small flock of Pekin Bantams that free-range the woodland floor under a statuesque Scots Pine, among tamarisks and wildflowers. Goldfinches feed on teasels, while hedgehogs and crickets, slow worms and moths love this undisturbed paradise. ‘I want to keep this wildlife happy and encourage even more to come and join us,’ Sarah explains.

So how does this unique front garden make Sarah and her family feel? ‘We spend a lot of time outside and I wanted to design a relaxed space that looked interesting and that we could all enjoy, with tall transparent plants and grasses, full of pollinating insects in the sun. From our morning cup of coffee until our evening drink, we love it out here, relaxing among the plants.’

Visit Sarah’s website at thegardencreative.com to see more of her wildlife-friendly and sustainable designs