In The ZONE

As with so many places in the Chiltern Hills, the garden at this roughly 20-acre property on the outskirts of Great Missenden in Buckinghamshire, is both somewhat exposed and perched on a little clay underlain with chalk. Soil here is free-draining and inclined to dry out in summer, especially in periods of low rainfall. The situation is ideal for a garden of mixed hardy grasses intermingled with perennials, which is exactly what designer Sean Walter included when he was approached to reinvigorate this particular garden when the current owners moved in.

Sean, with business partner Keith Pounder, owns The Plant Specialist, which provides design and maintenance services as well as an excellent selection of perennials