Malcolm Mollart is the author of a long-running garden blog Greenbenchramblings which is inspired by the garden he created with his wife, Jude, in the South Shropshire Hills. In June of this year, Malcom paid us a visit and took plenty of photographs whilst he was at it. We asked him to select some of his favourites, tell us about his own passion for horticulture and pick out those bits of Winterbourne which made the greatest impression.

“I am a 65-year-old retired head teacher, who had to retire early due to disability. I have now spent more years in retirement than working, so have had the luxury of time to develop my gardening skills and ideas. My love of gardening comes from my Father who loved his cottage style garden and was well-known locally for his roses.”

“Our garden is just under a quarter of an acre and is best described as a modern cottage garden with added quirky features. We have been gardening this patch for 13 years and started out with a completely blank canvas. We enjoy integrating sculpture into our garden and we are particularly passionate about gardening with wildlife and creating a calm atmosphere and a place of contentment.”

“We found out about Winterbourne when we picked up a leaflet several years ago and it had been on our bucket list for quite a while before we visited this year. We loved the idea of a beautiful garden situated in the middle of a city. When we visited we loved this juxtaposition.”

“We found a beautiful climber we had never seen before called Actinidia arguta and a design element new to us was the raised bed displaying a selection of succulents. We were inspired by the warm welcome created by the little cameo plantings and plantings in unusual containers that made us feel so good as soon as we entered the garden. This is something we intend to develop further in our own patch.”

“We loved the way that the gardens have been created to give different atmospheres and varying garden elements such as the bog and water garden, the succulent area and the woodland walks. Although separate entities they work as a cohesive unit.”

“My blog, Greenbenchramblings, is all about gardens, gardening, wildlife and all things creative. I have been writing it now for 5 years having started it on my 60th birthday as a new challenge. I think gardeners love visiting other gardens and sharing their own because they are part of a community of like-minded individuals with a love of plants and the special ways they are used in gardens. I love the camaraderie evident in our own garden when we open to groups or on our open days. I like to see our patch through the eyes of others.”