JULIA Boulton’s earliest memory of her grandmother’s garden is running along the grassy path in front of the house.

“I remember running along with my younger brother, I was probably around five years old,” she said.

“My grandmother was passionate about her plants and her garden.”

And so her grandmother, renowned plantswoman Beth Chatto, should be.

Mrs Chatto began work on her gardens, then just an overgrown wasteland of brambles, in 1960 and went on to win ten gold medals at the Chelsea Flower Show in the space of just 11 years.

She transformed the boggy wasteland using plants adapted by nature to thrive in different conditions, creating an inspirational, informal sanctuary.

When the garden began it was a private garden for her family home.

Mrs Chatto and her husband, Andrew, were simply passionate about plants and there was no intention of it becoming a business.

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Now, what was once a car park is a world-renowned gravel garden, and the quaint tearoom is a hit with families.

Mrs Chatto’s granddaughter Julia, who manages the gardens in Elmstead Market, said her grandmother’s garden made her feel free.

She said: “She was quite serious in the garden, very hard working and physically strong.

“When I helped her plant snow drops on the grassy walk I couldn’t keep up with her. I was in my twenties and she was in her seventies.

“I grew up with a small, enclosed, walled garden. Being in Beth’s six-plus acres of garden was incredibly exciting and gave me and my brother a sense of freedom and energy.

“On several occasions we spent the whole of the summer holidays at the gardens.”

For the next 50 years the gardens received recognition beyond anything Mrs Chatto could have first imagined.

In 1995, she was selected to the International Professional and Business Women’s Hall of Fame for outstanding achievements in introducing plant ecology to garden design.

Three years later she was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Garden Writer’s Guild, and in 2002 received an OBE.

In 2015, the Beth Chatto Education Trust Charity was launched, as Mrs Chatto was passionate about working with the natural world rather than against it.

She set up the Trust to carry forward her passion for plants to all age groups.

Plenty of other awards and accolades followed. Even after her death in May last year, aged 94, the legacy continues.

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Julia, 49, said: “I was very much in awe of my grandma. She wasn’t your archetypal doting, retired grandparent with a purple rinse.

“She was a formidable, confident and intelligent woman at the pinnacle of her field, getting ten consecutive golds, writing eight books, lecturing around the world.

“My grandma was extremely capable, she didn’t suffer fools and was appreciative of the traditional values of hard work and discipline.”

The garden has evolved over time, as Mrs Chatto would say from a youngster who needs nurturing, to a boisterous teenager who needs a controlling or a guiding hand, then on to maturity when things settle down.

With more than 2,000 varieties of plants - even the most formidable of gardeners needs an extra hand every now and then.

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Dave Ward, garden and nursery director, had the pleasure of working with Mrs Chatto for more than 30 years.

He joined her in 1983, having built experience in nurseries around the world.

He said: “Eventually I took over running the nursery, allowing Beth to concentrate on the garden and her Chelsea Flower Show preparations.

“Beth was a great communicator as well as a very driven person, so she always kept her staff on their toes.

“If you showed genuine interest and commitment she would respond accordingly being generous with her time and knowledge.

“Like all driven people she was not always easy to work with but once you realised it was her way and nothing personal it became much easier.”

The garden is unique as Mrs Chatto planted it following her ethos of right plant, right place.

Dave said: “With all the different conditions we have, plants tend to slot into different areas of the garden and we do not deviate from this basic principle.

“This concept works on so many levels, professionals appreciate the ecological and environmental aspects, we have a wide range of plants to attract the plant nuts and the gardens are a pleasant stroll for those who are not necessarily gardeners.”

The latest addition to the garden is a bench donated by the National Garden Scheme to honour Mrs Chatto and her contribution to the gardening world.

Dave will be taking an essence of the gardens to the Hampton Court Flower Show in July as part of the iconic status the Royal Horticultural Society is bestowing upon Mrs Chatto this year.

He said: “We were approached by the Royal Horticultural Society last year, which really wanted Beth to be its Horticultural Hero for this year’s show.

“It was also keen to feature a drought-resistant display, so I think we were the obvious ask.

“We have designed a garden similar to our own Gravel Garden which has been planted now for almost 30 years without ever being watered.

“We are thrilled to be involved and have the opportunity to spread the word about Beth’s lifework and our environmentally sustainable ethos of right plant, right place.”