Rip Up Your 20k Garden

A couple who live in a rented 17^th century water mill have been told by their landlord to rip up their £20,000 garden.

The couple, Elaine and David Rolfe, have lived in their home for 11 years and spent extravagant amounts of money on making their garden into one of Britain’s finest. However, since Mr Rolfe has been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, they have decided that they have to leave their idyllic home.

Then landlord believes that the gardens would be “too much” for a new tenant to maintain, and has ordered Mrs Rolfe to rip it up and return it to rough pasture or face a £5000 fee to have it gravelled.

The garden has featured in countless TV shows, magazines and is even opened up every summer for people to visit, with proceeds going to charity.

Mrs Rolfe said;

“It is heartbreaking to pull the garden up and see all our hard work go to nothing. David is too ill to know what is going on so that is a blessing”

James Perks, resident land agent for the estate said;

“If someone creates something extra-ordinary it’s not going to be sustainable once they have left.”

Mrs Rolfe has invited her friends to take the plants and give them a new home.

Full Story

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/9924943/Couple-told-to-rip-up-20000-garden.html