Lillesley Barn, Suffolk

Located in a picturesque village in Suffolk, Lillesley Barn is home to Bridget and her family. Inspired by visits to Beth Chatto's garden nearby, Bridget decided in 2016 to radically transform the front area into a dry gravel garden. She chose plants which would thrive in drought conditions: Salvia sclarea, Eryngium giganteum, Verbena bonariensis and Lychnis chalcedonica, as well as grasses such as Stipa gigantea. Closer to the house, clumps of Alchemilla mollis and Geranium psilostemon spill out over the gravel and bring bright splashes of colour. In a shadier part of the courtyard, creamy Digitalis lutea and white scabious are happily self seeding. In the back garden, Bridget has chosen a cool palette. Underneath a large weeping birch tree, a long herbaceous border has been created on a sloped terrain. It is planted with pale pink rose 'Queen of Sweden', Cephalaria gigantea, Foeniculum vulgare, Acanthus mollis and blue delphiniums.