Cruciform herbaceous borders are the highlight of this working kitchen garden. Behind the borders trained on wires are climbing roses, the crimson purple ‘Grüss am Teplitz’, Ayrshire ramblers, ‘Albertine’, ‘New Dawn’, ‘Adelaide d’Orleans’, ‘The Garland’, ‘Félicité et Perpétue’, the climbing hybrid tea ‘Richmond’, ‘D'tante’, ‘Blush Rambler’, ‘Mme Isaac Pereire’ and ‘Alister Stella Gray’. There are other roses on the wires that nobody so far has been able to identify. Clematis, hoheria and the everlasting pea span the flowering times of the roses.

We noticed on old plans that the garden had originally been divided into eight sections so in 1986 we created grass walks and arched tunnels on which grow sweet peas. runner beans and gourds.

At the beginning of the season the colour scheme is chosen to blend in with the old roses, pinks, blues, mauves, lilac, creams and pale yellows; but as summer intensifies the stronger coloured flowers of bronzes, deep reds and yellows come to the fore. We have introduced dot planting of annuals to prolong the flowering season well into late summer.