2011 –

We live on the site of an old church/graveyard at the end of a mews. Squeezed between the new church, the old church hall and a row of terraced houses. Our unusual L-shaped garden wraps around the house; two sides of the living room are black-framed windows, so the garden is always “on show” and feels part of the house.

We are overlooked by the row of terraced houses, but we had to start by cutting down our only source of privacy – the three soon to be giant Sycamore seedlings. We kept the Buddleja in the corner of the patio area because the butterflies and birds love it and it gives us privacy upstairs from the nearby high street.

So we started with an almost blank canvas, but have achieved a lot since we moved in in September 2011.

As well as giving us a place to relax and experiment, I want the garden to be a haven for wildlife. It has been so satisfying to watch the birds inspecting the new trees and plants as well as the nesting boxes – we have even had a bat circling during the summer evenings, so we have put up a box for them too.

We have planted rhubarb, apple trees, a fig and a quince and during the summer we grow salad, courgette and tomatoes as well as herbs. In the future I would like to grow even more edible plants and cut flowers.

We added a formal, but wildlife-friendly bentomat-lined pond in April 2014. The fountain distracts us from the noise of the nearby traffic and the bridge leads you slowly onto the ever-shrinking lawn.

Our latest addition is a multi-functional garden room, which we use as a shed, greenhouse, garden office, gym and bar during parties.