Over the twenty years we have been open to the public, regular visitors will have seen Sticky Wicket gradually mature and change.   My increasing use of native wildflowers and grasses has allowed the garden less formality albeit one

that is deceptively heavy on maintenance.

My land will remain a haven for wildlife long after the glory of 20 years of precise garden-making is masked by changes in flora. I shall continue to focus on meadow- making projects, encourage natural woodland re-generation and concentrate on the production of organic food from my small-holding.

Most gardens are carved out of wilderness or, as with Sticky Wicket, created from a 'blank canvas'. It is rarely the intention of a gardener not only to allow - and actively encourage - a natural wilderness to evolve.

Since the sad death of my husband Peter, I have completed my book, 'Sticky Wicket: Gardening in Tune with Nature' , which chronicles the creation and management of the garden and was a tribute to Peter's amazing skill in making my vision a reality (published by Frances Lincoln 2005).   Prior to Peter's death in 2004, Fr ance s Lincoln published 'Making Wildflower Meadows' which was an account of our grassland projects up to 2003.

I now plan to complete the trilogy to record how nature reclaims the land with just the minimum intervention from its custodian. My challenge is to help this to happen gracefully whilst lightly steering the process, allowing for the effect of changes in we ather patterns and monitoring the fluctuations of wildlife and wildflower populations in this exciting 'Wilder Wicket' .