Old Camps in July

It is rare for a contemporary garden to merge so readily into an ancient landscape, but the planting at Old Camps creates a seamless transition of verdant tones and textures that harmonise with the surrounding Hampshire countryside. ‘The very first time I came down the drive and saw the stupendous view towards Watership Down, I was hooked,’ recalls Adam Vetere. He immediately recognised the sunny sloping garden as an ideal spot to grow some really interesting plants. The garden has a decidedly contemporary feel, with a bed of exotics more usually found in the sub-tropics, and 26-metre-long twin borders — one filled with drifts of perennials and ornamental grasses, whilst its opposite number is packed with Mediterranean sun-lovers.