They moved to this large site in 2005, but Helen wasn't able to start creating her garden until 2012, once the main construction work was complete.
The garden sits in two acres of land surrounding the house, with the rest of the site left to nature. Helen takes a natural approach to all of the garden, with plants allowed to self-seed. She also has a real passion for wildlife.
What was the garden like when you moved in?
There were just a few veg patches around the old cottage, and a few tin sheds. The previous owner only grew potatoes - we had a massive crop that first year! There was couch grass everywhere, so I had to wash the roots of everything I wanted to keep, to remove the couch grass from the garden. It was pretty much carnage to start with.
What did you do to transform the garden?
The site was full of stones, as it used to be a quarry, so every time you put your fork in the ground, you hit a stone. A friend showed me how to build dry stone walls and I caught the bug. I never thought I'd become obsessed with finding the perfect stone! I've moved barrowloads around the site. The walls level out some areas and hold back the land.
I kept all the plants that were here, apart from the couch grass, and divided them to get as many plants as possible for free. I sowed a lot myself too, and visited a local garden centre at the start.
I have such a love for nature, thanks to my father who took me on walks as a child. I have a real passion for plants too, I salivate walking past a garden centre! So it was an obsessive need, to create my garden. The garden also has to work with the weather - plants need to survive full sun, heavy rain and strong winds. I encourage them to self-seed, then move them around. This wasn't a garden you could mastermind, because at the start I couldn't see beyond the mess that was there in front of me.
Esta historia es de la edición December 2023 de BBC Gardeners World.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición December 2023 de BBC Gardeners World.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
A new plot for tasty crops
Taking on a new allotment needn't be hard work. By simply following a few easy tips you can have bumper crops in no time, just like Alessandro Vitale
We love July
July is an island floating between the joy of June and the slightly fatigued month of August. It's a grown-up month: the year has shrugged off its adolescent exuberances, the weather is (hopefully) warm enough for ice cream to be one of your five a day, the sea should be swimmable without (too much) danger of hypothermia and thoughts will be of holiday shenanigans and family barbecues. School's out this month, the next tranche of glorious summer colour is washing across our borders and it's my birthday. Lots of reasons to give three rousing cheers for July!
YOUR PRUNING MONTH
Now, at the height of summer, Frances Tophill shows how to boost your plants' health and productivity with a timely cut
Hassle-free harvests
Flowers are out in abundance this month and for Jack Wallington, many of these blooms make delicious, low-effort pickings
Bite-sized bounties
Glorious doorstep harvests can easily turn into gluts, so let Rukmini Iyer's recipes help you savour every last bit
Upcycled outdoor living
Create unique and stylish garden features for minimal cost using reclaimed materials and simple DIY skills. Helen Riches shares four step-by-step projects and more inspiring eco tips
Secrets of a COLOURFUL GARDEN
Buildings and landscapes can play a vital role in supercharging your space, as Nick Bailey demonstrates
Greening up a city balcony
Looking for sustainable, small-space gardening ideas? Take inspiration from Oliver Hymans' transformed balcony garden in north-east London - now a lush, green haven for humans and wildlife
The dry and mighty garden
As we adapt our gardens to a more volatile climate, Alan Titchmarsh reveals how to create a drought-tolerant plot and picks his top plant performers
Nature knows best
Carol Klein explains how to choose plants for specific growing conditions, based on what has naturally adapted to thrive there