A GARDEN OF CONTRASTS

ost good gardens are collaborative endeavours, and Ginni Riley’s, high up in the Chilterns, is no exception. Ginni and her husband, Ian, bought their home in 2016 after a seven-year search. ‘My heart wanted a listed rectory,’ Ginni says, ‘but those we saw always needed so much work. In the end, we compromised on a modern Georgian-style house.’ The unspoilt view was the clincher. ‘We can’t see another building, electricity pylon or even footpaths from here,’ she says. The garden, however, proved to be quite a challenge. Unusually for the chalky Chilterns, the ground is heavy clay and, as the house is on a ridge, it is beset by winds from all sides. Ginni knew that