When Natalie and Mike Newman first saw their house, they were attracted by the neglected garden almost more than the house itself.
It was probably laid out in Victorian or Edwardian times. At one side, massive overgrown conifers crowded into each other around a side lawn.
Then there was a walled garden directly behind the house. Once the farm’s vegetable garden, it had a crumbling brick bothy and an old greenhouse. But it was hard to get past the thicket of self-seeded elders and brambles covering half the area.
Natalie and Mike fell in love with this old potting shed almost hidden under climbers. It’s probably Victorian or may be even older. The little greenhouse is dug into the ground by a few feet, which helps keep it warm in winter.
The front lawn had more thistles than lawn. And the
