Woodmansterne in July

At first glance through a haze of verbena, salvias, knautia, alliums, achilleas, sedums and hardy geraniums, it is not immediately obvious that this is a family garden — there is no scuffed grass, trampolines or climbing frames and the plants seem untouched by flyaway footballs — but closer inspection reveals a fairy-tale Wendy house on stilts tucked away in a shady corner beneath trees. There are other clues, such as an unusually wide path, made for an electric children's car, as well as a trampoline hidden in an orchard. In other corner of the 25m x 20m back garden, there is a wildlife pool overlooked by a wooden deck. This is an old garden, and a few of the original trees remain — plums, apples and damsons.

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