Synopsis
It was the view that convinced Helen and Richard to buy a farmhouse in a quiet village in West Sussex, in spite of the amount of work needed. 'We just fell in love with the view of Ditchling Beacon and the South Downs,' recalls Helen, and it still casts a spell. 'Sometimes you feel you could just reach out and touch them, at others they almost disappear under sea mists that come in from the coast.'
The farm was a patchwork of concrete yards, stables, a sand school for horses and very little garden, but with five acres of land it gave Helen the opportunity she was looking for to make a larger garden with a spectacular natural backdrop. 'We didn't realise at the time though that the wonderful views brought with them very strong winds,' says Helen, 'so we had to plant shelter belts and over the years I've learnt what plants will cope. It took 16 months to renovate the house during which time I was busy planning the garden in my mind.'
That was twenty years ago, and in spite of the blustery conditions Helen succeeded in bringing her images to life, making a sophisticated garden, dense with plants, clever detailing and well chosen sculptures, blending to the south into fields of long grasses that form a transition from garden to surrounding landscape, etched with mown paths and shaped by willow, hornbeam, yew and birch.
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