Southern Highlands Gardens: Whitley, Oldbury Road, Sutton Forest

Whitely is a large Arts and Crafts House on the side of the hill at Sutton Forest, recently opened for charity. We went over for the first time and are grateful to the owners for letting us see it.

The first thing that impresses you is the immaculate hedges bordering the road. We understand they were relaid by an English professional at the request of the owners. Lovely, low but nevertheless effective - no rows of dull conifers. There is Leylandii but it is tightly cut to a smooth finish and looks remarkably good. The only way to treat it in my view.

The next thing is the garden's size and the number of garden "rooms". The house and garden immediately surrounding it look as though they were laid out together and are well structured. The wrought iron and statutory are to die for and the tennis court with its original pavilion is a gem.

View to the tennis pavilion at Whitley

But what I noticed was the structure fell away as "rooms" or areas had been added without the essential link to the original design - that includes the nut orchard and a native area that was somewhere in the distance without even a gravel path to lead one to it. The tennis court needs a stone path and steps to link it to the house.

Another gem was left wanting - an obelisk in a field visible from the belvedere. That obelisk needs framing. When it is it will provide a focal point from the belvedere that will then carry the carry the eye to the valley beyond. At the moment it's wasted.

I'd change the planting as well. The planting is in places a bit busy and there were hybrid tea roses in the formal garden surrounding the gargoyle fountain.

Look, I admit to loathing the teas and preferring old roses but for good reason. Old roses may flower only once or for a shorter period but they have more interesting foliage and fabulous hips in the autumn that more than make up for any lack of flowers. Hybrid teas are out of synch with the age and design of the house.They're also prone to disease that makes them look awful and increases their upkeep.

Next time this garden is open have a look, particularly at the original stone work and wrought iron - fabulous. Structure in a garden is everything. Even cottage gardens need it. At Whitley it's essential.