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Wealden Times | WT165 | November 2015 | Gift supplement inside

Wealden Times - The lifestyle magazine for the Weald

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Top: A side porch full of curious succulents makes it hard not to dally on your way in or out of the house. Above, left to right: One of many fruit trees in the<br />

back garden; the hen house, built by Francine’s son Jacques and painted to match the house and outbuildings; herbs and salad plants destined for the kitchen<br />

garden with a yellow balloon during open garden week.”<br />

Francine’s garden will be open on June 12, 2016.<br />

Although she was initially looking for a smaller home,<br />

with a larger garden, it seems that Francine has ended up<br />

with the perfect plot. “My old garden was an acre, and<br />

I had 100 ducks. I didn’t want this garden to be labour<br />

intensive.” Instead, much of the area close to the house<br />

is taken up with containers, in all shapes and sizes, from<br />

agricultural watering troughs, to more elegant ‘brocante’<br />

– around a deck made from scaffolding boards.<br />

“I try and grow a few, special veg – not everything I<br />

eat. It’s the seasonality I like. To grow a few nice things<br />

is important to me.” Morning and evening watering<br />

is something she finds relaxing. Further away from<br />

the house is a grass area, dotted with fruit trees, and<br />

to the side there is a metal swing chair that Francine<br />

brought with her from her old garden. “You get the<br />

nicest view from here, of just plants, trees and sky<br />

and I’ve planted roses around it, for the scent.”<br />

Following on from her knack of re-using materials,<br />

or using materials in clever ways, the garden fences – or<br />

dividers – which shield the compost area and cobnut glade<br />

– are made from roofing batten nailed at intervals to vertical<br />

stakes: “it’s windy here, so you need something that will let<br />

the wind through. Otherwise it would just get blown down.”<br />

Ingenuity and adaptability are just two of Francine’s talents,<br />

and her home and garden show both off to perfection.<br />

<br />

www.wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

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