Pickersdane, Kent

When art restorers, Jane and Debbie, decided to move to the countryside 8 years ago, the first property they saw was Pickersdane. They fell in love with the 16th century house, located in the picturesque Kent Downs, on the edge of a nature reserve, with a small stream running through the garden. Whilst renovating the interior of the house, they also started to tackle a new challenge for them, the creation of a garden. They were keen to encourage and even 'curate' the wild areas to welcome wildlife into their garden; in June, the meadows are full of daisies and hardy orchids, such as spotted and pyramidal orchids, thrive amongst the cobnut and willow-leaved pear trees. The rambling rose 'Rambling Rector' entwine trunks and branches of dead trees, infusing the garden with a wild and romantic feel. The edges of the stream are planted with Iris pseudocarpus as well as various ferns which love these damp conditions. Closer to the house, Jane and Debbie have installed some gabion walls to retain the banks and carved out some formal beds from the chalky ground. They are planted with plants which love this poor soil such as salvias, phlomis and poppies. An old cider press from Cornwall has found a new home in the garden and now provides a point of interest on the lawn to the side of the house.