Fashionably LATE

Most gardens reach their peak in spring and summer, when ebulliently colourful herbaceous displays ring out against the vibrant greens of the season. By late autumn and early winter, the rush has died down and garden tasks are limited to maintenance and preparation for the new season to come.

At Hatch House, a fairly modest farmhouse near Newbury in Berkshire, the focus is somewhat different. Designed by Tom Stuart-Smith, the primary garden closest to the house has been planned specifically for autumn and winter interest. While other gardens slump at the first sign of frost, in this one robust texture and form are just hitting their stride. Even the colours – deep