Joe Wainwright Photography

The secluded plant-filled garden of Brooke Cottage, Cheshire, photographed in May. The owners moved into the cottage in 1996, when the garden was bare apart from a large Leylandii hedge, scrubby lawn and a large section at the front of the house completely obscured by a conifer and a Rhododendron ponticum.
Surrounded by mature trees and shrubs, it is now divided into three distinct areas with seats placed to provide a range of views of the garden. The front garden comes alive in May with a variety of Azaleas and Rhododendrons providing a striking display of colour – adding structure in this area is a larch, pruned into the shape of an umbrella. This merges into a more muted and restful woodland area, with its distinctive lizard water feature and a small circular patio surrounded by Acers, Brunnera, and other shade-loving plants including more than 30 varieties of fern.
At the back of the property the main patio comprises a small pond and 40 large containers fed by a watering system with bold leaved plants including a wonderful display of 25 varieties of Hostas. Finally, pathways of granite setts lead through an ivy-clad brick archway to another section of the garden where there are mixed herbaceous borders and island beds planted in a naturalistic style with grasses and perennials. Different types of Euphorbia, Alliums and Scabiosa provide interest in late spring, while an area planted with Anthriscus ‘Ravenswing’, Aquilegia, Persicaria ‘Superba’ and Astrantia creates a meadow-like effect, popular with bees and other insects.