I used to think you could 'finish' a garden in a year or two – since then I've discovered why gardens take so long and why that’s actually the best bit

Woman standing in garden reaching over wooden fence into wildly grown field.

Home decorator Lara Winter is one of Ideal Home's Open House contributors, sharing her thoughts on revamping a 200 year old cottage to make it right for modern family life. See the rest of her articles here.

I used to think you could “finish” a garden in a year or two.