"I have wonderful childhood memories of my grandparents garden at their 1930s London suburban house.

"The appearance of informality in the planting made the colours work together beautifully with no concerns about clashing. This garden has all the classic features of those 1930s gardens: the tufa rock garden, formally laid out low walls, sunken garden, the bird bath, rustic pergola, the laburnum and the essential crazy paving. It's a lovely place to take tea after tennis."