We have gone for variety, a surprise around each corner and a touch of eccentricity. Gardens and gardeners can take themselves too seriously and we have included a few light hearted features simply for fun. Within the constraints of the steep slope, the garden has been laid out to provide as many different styles and features as possible, from the formality of paved terraces to a woodland path. It is not divided into "rooms" and neither is it "open plan" but there are attempts to subtly hide one area from the next. Many of the features have resulted from the influence of great gardens we have visited and trips we have made. Why shouldn't a smaller garden have a laburnum walk like Bodnant, a folly or two and scaled down versions of a parterre and long walk as seen in gardens of the past? If you don’t find the flasher you have not been everywhere.

Complementary to the variety of features we have sought variety in the material grown. We have planted over 500 different varieties of shrub and trees and there are many hundreds of wild and cultivated herbaceous plants. We also grow about 15 types of fruit and nuts and there is a partially walled vegetable garden and two glasshouses on the top level. Clearly, there is no real specialisation in one particular genuus but there are more than 50 different roses and a significant collection of ivies (for which the site is very favourable) now numbers about 100 varieties.

It is the many different features and styles, together with the unusual aspect, which makes this a distinctive and truly unique garden. Unlike many in the modern trend, it is also labour intensive. To save you asking, we do not employ a gardener and at the last count there were over 700 steps.