There is something particularly enjoyable about returning to a garden once it’s had time to settle; when the structure has softened, the planting has grown into itself, and the space has found its rhythm and flow.

This spring, I revisited the gardens at The Crown & Garter in Inkpen, Berkshire, a 17th-century coaching inn set within the North Wessex Downs National Landscape.  Originally redesigned in 2023, our brief was to create gardens that felt generous and unshowy, rooted in their rural surroundings and able to welcome guests comfortably throughout the year.

If you want more hellebores in your garden, low maintenance, lovely perennials which gently sing from the side-lines and from dark corners during late winter and early spring offering the prettiest of flowers, read on for ideas and suggestions.

I like to think of the garden table as a stage: something to be dressed, designed and decorated, a small pleasure that’s easily achieved and easily changed with the seasons. A place for reminders of what’s coming soon, what’s flowering now, and what’s usually at our feet rather than at eye level. If your garden is getting out of hand and you can’t see the wood for the trees, your table top may be the perfect place to start.

Making the most of the late spring sunshine, we enjoyed flowers, fun, tea and cakes while raising money for Horatio’s Garden at our Garden Gathering.

Take a peak at our video …