The plot thickens

This year, Pamela's aim is to have the garden at its best in June for its debut on Village Garden Open Day, a fete where visitors tour round local gardens. "It will be my first time in it," Pamela says. "It's a real English village event, and I can't wait!"

While to most of us, opening your garden to a parade of guests means that things are at their peak, Pamela finds there's still lots to do. "I spend every spare moment in the garden. At about 7 p.m., I'm out there with my glass of wine before dinner, thinking, 'What can I do tomorrow?'"

5 favourite David Austin roses
David Austin Roses is a U.K. family business that runs one of the largest rose-breeding programs in the world. Its specialty is repeat-flowering English cottage roses, and the company ships worldwide. 

1 Cottage Rose: "A beautiful pink."
2 Charlotte: "Planted to mark Charlotte's Christening. Yellow."
3 Gertrude Jekyll: "Just gorgeous. Bright pink."
4 The Prince: "Like maroon velvet."
5 Constance Spry: "This pink one only flowers once but is so beautiful it doesn't matter. I grow it as a climber on one of my arches."