In bloom.

The biggest mistake my husband and I made when we bought our house 23 years ago was that we didn’t have the garden ripped out. We didn’t have the budget to do it then but we are finally getting round to it. Our garden was one you couldn’t actually walk around, lots of dead ends - the idea is that we will have one that we can perambulate around, which will make a huge difference to our enjoyment of it.

If you are thinking of giving your garden a makeover, then you really need someone else to look at it. If you have lived there for some time you literally won’t be able to see the wood for the trees. It is quite obvious where a professional has designed the garden because it flows and the colours complement each other. The trend now is towards linear lines, gardens with smart, neat lawns and edging.

Picking gardens are also popular where you are able to pick flowers for the home all year round. We are also looking forward to having more of a weed-free garden although that does mean we will have a fallow year in order to get rid of nasties such as bindweed and ground elder before we can plant anything of a flowering nature. But it will be worth it.

Mature apple trees are also hugely desirable. We are having rows of Espalier apple trees: the idea is you enjoy the blossom and then the fruit. The branches are wired across to create a screen so rather than use wood, which will rot, we have opted for scaffolding poles painted matt black.

Garden envy is quite common as a beautiful garden really does set a house apart. Some clients are not gardeners and not that bothered about the garden but I had one client who specifically wanted mature trees - that was a very important aspect of his property search, so much depends on the individual when it comes to gardens.