Imagine . . .

. . . a tinkling stream lined with local stone, bordered by azaleas and dwarf rhodedendrons. That's what this part of the garden will look like but this is the current view of the 'pointy-end' of the garden - we're facing east away from the village - but it doesn't do justice to the steepness of the land that climbs steadily up from the chapel so that when you reach the bit where Kate Winslet and Leonardo di Caprio are there waving at you, you get a wonderful view over the village rooftops towards Rosedale West. Before we started work this was a jungle of brambles and every time I ventured forth I ended up sprawling in the mud. Thank goodness that's a thing of the past.

The rows of green plants seen on the right are all the box plants that used to ring every flower and shrub border and looked continental and wrong for a Yorskire country garden. We asked Peter to move them out of the builders' way while work is going on. They will be transplanted in various places throughout the garden either as hedges or as individual plants. They're growing very well in their temporary nursery and will do us proud when the time comes to transplant them. Azalaeas and Rhodedendrons may not seem typically Yorkshire either but the previous owner had planted a large quantity and although some will have to go, we don't like killing plants for the sake of it.