The walled garden is hidden behind a row of 1920s cottages, up one of the quiet lanes running off The Parade, Parkgate. It used to be a garage block and has been neglected for many years, with derelict buildings and an impressive infestation of Japanese knotweed along one side.

Access is via a narrow, private lane with walls to one side, a hedge to the other. At the end it opens up into the garden, approximately 200 sq m of space surrounded by brick walls on four sides, with just a short stretch of wood fencing to one small section. The overall structure is good, with only one large tree, a sycamore situated in the far corner, out of the way.

I spent time tracking the light and shade patterns in the garden - it gets very good light, but the surrounding buildings and walls do cast shadows at different times of the day. I have mapped out where the hottest and shadiest parts of the garden are, and for how many hours each day.

The site already has planning permission for a new building, so this will be incorporated into the site plan. The important elements to be included are:

1. a large barn-style studio - planning permission to be revisited to allow this.

2. a kitchen garden with raised beds and planters,

3. an orchard using the walls as much as possible,

4. a row of silver birch trees,

5. somewhere to grow and showcase specific plants collections.

The studio build (Item 1) will be delayed for a couple of years, so the garden planning will be done in phases, working around the building plans until any required changes to the planning permission are agreed. The demolition works started in early 2017, with work on the gardens starting in early 2019.