With its borders of roses and cottage-garden flowers complemented by old stone and weathered brick and flint, the Norfolk garden of Rachel and John Hannyngton initially appears to fit neatly into the English country garden tradition. This is both true and incomplete. This garden is a story of finding balance, of nurturing its wildness while satisfying a human aesthetic, of dirty hands and of people sharing common ideas and spirit.
Rachel gardens in partnership with 27-year-old Patrick Beamish. “He’s my garden angel,” she says. “He’s young, he’s trained, he has the physical energy and, most importantly, he gardens with the right spirit. It’s about working with the garden rather than imposing ideas on it. But, at the same time, to create a cultivated garden you
