LOTS of unusual ideas are packed into a small space at Louise Mitchell's cottage garden at West Tytherley, near Stockbridge. There are runner beans among the roses, frothy exotic lettuces growing in soil-filled buckets and eating apple trees in the flower beds - an exuberance of flowers, shrubs, fruit and vegetables, tightly squashed together.

"It's an enthusiast's garden," said Mrs Mitchell. "It's all about jamming the maximum number of plants into the smallest space, experimenting with new ideas and, if necessary, creating the special condi-tions that individual plants need."

Many of these ideas, of course, can be useful if you are short of space in your own garden.

This garden at 2 Warren Farm Cottages, West Tytherley, has a difficult heavy clay soil over a chalky base, and is swept by strong, south-westerly winds, so various tactics have been used to improve the environment. The garden is protected by a beech hedge windbreak, and there are many raised beds and containers providing improved soils for various plants. The beds are regularly mulched to help retain moisture.

Hardy geraniums are one of Mrs Mitchell's special enthusiasms. She has countless varieties in this small garden, many of which can be bought in pots. Part of their fascination is their variety.

"They are native to every continent except Antarctica," she said, "so their requirements are varied, according to their natural environment. "Some like sunny, dry conditions, others like shade or moisture.

"Fortunately it is easy to move them, so if I find that a particular plant isn't thriving, I just move it to another part of the garden which might be more suitable."

Looking at its best at the moment, for example, is Geranium wallichianum sybaru. This unusual plant originates from Nepal and has bright magenta pink flowers, with dark centres.

Also at their peak are Mrs Mitchell's monardas (sometimes called bergamots). These tall border plants have striking flowers in various shades of pink, red and mauve and provide a welcome splash of late summer colour. There's a fine collection of hostas, too, a recently planted fruit cage and a newly created pond.

Much of the produce from the garden goes into Mrs Mitchell's homemade chutneys and pickles, which are on sale in various mouthwatering varieties. Many interesting and unusual plants are also on sale.

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