COTTAGE COURTYARD CHARM

Created over the past five years by keen gardeners Sharron and James Pashley, the flower-packed courtyard garden behind their characterful 16th-century cottage in the pretty town of Cranbrook, brims with interest and colour.

The transformation from the uninspiring space which was laid to gravel, with a rotting pergola, an area of decking, and a large shed that took up one third of the courtyard, has been undertaken with enthusiasm and knowledge. ‘I have always been a keen gardener, having been inspired by my dad’s love of gardening. This is the second garden that James and I have created together, and it really shines in the summer months,’ says Sharron.

James and Sharron met as mature students, studying Medicinal Horticulture at Hadlow College in Kent. Since then, Sharron has put everything that she learnt into practice