The plot thickens

MANY of us never really think about garden theft or damage until it is too late, unlike keen plantsmen Geoffrey Hall and James Lindesay (left and right, respectively).

Professor Lindesay says: "We looked into our contents policy and we discovered that garden ornaments - which we just assumed were included - have to be covered separately in the policy. So we contacted the insurer to gain a special extension of the policy to cover these items."

They have spent a great deal of time, care, effort and money on their quarter-acre garden in a village in Rutland.

Dr Hall and Professor Lindesay are members of the National Gardens Scheme charity and their garden is opened up to the public once a year.

The scheme advises members on basic security measures, such as growing prickly bushes at points of possible access, and provides public liability cover in case people have an accident while they are in the garden.