<div style="page-break-before:always; page-break-after:always"><div style="page-break-before:always; page-break-after:always"><div style="page-break-before:always; page-break-after:always">When landscape architects Tommaso del Buono and Paul Gazerwitz first set eyes on their 16th-century Grade II-listed cottage in Suffolk, they both knew they had found what they were searching for. Italian-born Tommaso and New Yorker Paul became friends after moving to London in the early 90s, before setting up their practice 20 years ago. They were looking for a bolthole away from the city that they could share the use of and escape to at weekends. &lsquo;We loved the unspoilt villages in Suffolk and instantly fell in love with this little house, even though the garden was almost derelict,&rsquo; says Tommaso. The pair bought the property in 2010 and after renovating the house, turned their attention to the garden. Wrapping around three sides of the cottage, the garden comprises just over one-third of an acre. &lsquo;Before making a plan, we waited until we had lived in the property for some time and had a better idea of how we wanted to use the outdoor spaces,&rsquo; explains Tommaso. The front garden was the first challenge. &lsquo;When we moved in, there was a large gravel car park here, which completely exposed the property to the road, so we planted a tall yew hedge to create more privacy,&rsquo; he continues. A lawn and gravel path edged with bulbs and perennials now greet visitors as they approach the house from the village square. The designers are passionate gardeners and have included their favourite cottage-garden plants, including irises, geraniums, penstemons, campanulas and sedums, as well as the classic China rose, Rosa x odorata &lsquo;Mutabilis&rsquo;, in this sunny, south-facing spot. <img src="https://magarticles.magzter.com/articles/5148/476144/5f08083c189a8/1594362145_loc.jpeg"" owidth=1000 oheight=612" />&lsquo;We originally thought the orange facade of the house was too bright, but when we painted the timber joinery a subtle moss green, it immediately improved the appearance and we decided to keep it,&rsquo; says Paul. &lsquo;We also planted the apricot climbing rose &lsquo;Gloire de Dijon&rsquo; and salmon-pink rambler &lsquo;Albertine&rsquo; to soften the walls and complement the rich colour.&rsquo; To the side of the house, Paul and Tommaso created a sheltered garden room, with a dining table and chairs and a productive patch adjacent to the kitchen. Tommaso says, &lsquo;In the kitchen garden, we&rsquo;ve stuck to things that grow easily, such as herbs, carrots, lettuces and runner beans.&rsquo; The pair also grow cut flowers for the house, such as dahlias, zinnias and cosmos, and in summer have enough stems to take a few back to London with them. <img src="https://magarticles.magzter.com/articles/5148/476144/5f08083c189a8/1594361801582.jpg"" owidth=1302 oheight=1585" style="width: 1302px; height: 1585px;" />The rear garden, which was very overgrown when they arrived, is shadier and required a different approach. A serpentine hornbeam hedge creates structure and leads the eye from the lawn by the house to a small meadow, which inspires a more naturalistic look under a mature sycamore at the end of the garden. Drifts of cow parsley, Narcissus poeticus, snake&rsquo;s head fritillaries and camassias, which form tall blue spikes beside the ditch that dissects the garden, create a colourful show among the meadow grasses in spring. These disappear in summer when the grasses turn a golden-buff colour. &lsquo;I love the quiet charm of the meadow in summer,&rsquo; says Tommaso, and adds: &lsquo;We debated about keeping the sycamore &ndash; it&rsquo;s not a particularly beautiful tree &ndash; but felt it added a sense of permanence that this old property needed and I think it really works here.&rsquo;<img src="https://magarticles.magzter.com/articles/5148/476144/5f08083c189a8/1594361821406.jpg"" owidth=643 oheight=785" style="width: 643px; height: 785px;" />Furniture for the garden was purchased over time from local antique shops and auction houses, while the quirky gate at the entrance to the garden, which features a fork, spade and shears, is either by George Carter, or similar to one of his designs. <img src="https://magarticles.magzter.com/articles/5148/476144/5f08083c189a8/1594361821149.jpg"" owidth=661 oheight=785" style="width: 661px; height: 785px;" />The designers love the peaceful atmosphere they have created in their garden. &lsquo;We now feel like we&rsquo;re right out in the countryside when we&rsquo;re pottering about in it, rather than just a few metres from the village square,&rsquo; says Tommaso. &lsquo;It&rsquo;s the perfect antidote to the frantic city life we lead during the week.&rsquo;<img src="https://magarticles.magzter.com/articles/5148/476144/5f08083c189a8/1594361821511.jpg"" owidth=643 oheight=803" style="width: 643px; height: 803px;" /> <div style="page-break-before:always; page-break-after:always">GARDEN GUIDE ORIENTATION Front garden: south-facing; back garden: north-facing.SOIL TYPE Fertile loam.SPECIAL FEATURES Cottage-style front garden, lawn and meadow to the rear; kitchen and cut-flower garden to the side of the house.GARDEN DESIGN Tommaso del Buono and Paul Gazerwitz of del Buono Gazerwitz Landscape Architecture, 020 7405 7405, delbuono-gazerwitz.co.uk. The garden is not open to the public.

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