Created over the last century by successive generations of the same family, the award-winning Coton Manor garden is an everchanging tapestry of colours and textures that spans the seasons; yet it is the intangible qualities that often touch visitors most deeply. ‘There is a very special ambience – it immediately struck me when I first visited,’ says Susie Pasley-Tyler. More than three decades have passed since Susie and her husband, Ian, took charge of the garden, leaving London for a quiet corner of Northamptonshire. ‘It was something of a shock,’ admits Susie. ‘I was a hobby gardener, but the advantage in being so inexperienced was that I didn’t recognise it was such a major undertaking, so never felt daunted.’
The garden’s framework was laid out during the 1920s by Ian’s grandparents. ‘There was nothing but fields and the ponds, yet they had the vision to plant the trees,
