Sezincote garden, Gloucestershire: a passage to India In the Second World War, like many a grand house, Sezincote fell on hard times and was used as a billet for Canadian troops. In 1944, it was rescued by Sir Cyril and Lady Betty Kleinwort. Their daughter Elizabeth Acland, who still lives nearby, recalls tanks parked in the fields, which she and her two pony-mad sisters, Charlotte and Suki, used as an equestrian obstacle course. "The lead was missing from the roof and there was no hot water, quite a disaster for three young girls," Elizabeth recalls. Fungus sprouted from the skirting boards and rain dripped through the roof, so everything had to be restored to its former glory. Pre-war, a dozen gardeners had kept the grounds immaculate and, although the main lawns had been mowed by the Canadian troops, most of the garden was neglected and overgrown. "When my parents came here," says Suki Peake, "they explored the garden with scythes and uncovered a series of pools. They were all dry. The water had disappeared into underground limestone caverns, so the first job was to make the pools waterproof again, so the water flowed. Once the structure was restored, Lady Kleinwort turned to Graham Stuart Thomas, the leading horticulturist of the day, for planting advice. The partnership between Thomas and Sezincote would officially last for 30 years, although he continued to write until his death in 2003. He clothed the simply laid-out garden with choice trees, shrubs and plants. Thomas was then a partner of Sunningdale Nurseries, the Rolls-Royce of British nurseries, and he had already begun advising the National Trust on historic gardens. He should take credit as the creator of the modern Hidcote Manor Gardens, which he transformed from Lawrence Johnston's summer residence into a garden for all seasons. The year-round planting made Hidcote Manor the Trust's most popular garden and, as it is only 10 miles from Sezincote, he often visited both together. John Sales, who worked with Stuart Thomas and succeeded him as gardens adviser, recalls that Mr Thomas (as all the gardeners called him) always insisted on being back at base (wherever he was staying) for tea. Between tea and dinner, Thomas wrote his report by hand, with recommendations, and it was delivered the next day. "It was a little like going to the doctor and getting a prescription," Sales says. Graham was an amazing plantsman and he had the ability to make detailed observations quickly. He also had an aura of authority, useful in the National Trust, and there were no shades of grey, just black and white. He always said that he was very particular person - and he was. This ability to work quickly allowed him to write many books, including groundbreaking works on old roses, and several definitive texts, such as Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos and Perennial Garden Plants. The famous rosarian The rectangular rose beds, which used to lie on the southern side of the house, had always looked incongruous close to the Moorish architecture of Sezincote. Following a visit to the Taj Mahal by Lady Kleinwort, the couple designed a Persian garden in 1964. Lady Kleinwort sought Thomas's advice and he suggested hardy fastigiate yews (Taxus baccata 'Fastigiata"), rather than Italian cypresses, to achieve the right look. He insisted that they were trimmed to keep them slender and, if he saw they were getting out of shape, a letter would arrive soon afterwards. Lord and Lady Kleinwort handed Sezincote over to their youngest daughter, Suki, in 1976 and the affectionate relationship between owner and plantsman continued. Thomas wrote right up until the end of his life in 2003, aged 94, invariably checking the waistlines of the yews. Suki wrote back and sent photographs. Bergenias (perhaps inspired by his meeting with Gertrude Jekyll at the end of her life) front two Indian elephant statues, added for the Millennium by Suki Peake. Thomas, not a man to champion anything but plants, apparently approved. On the day I visit Sezincote, it feels fitting that it's raining: Suki tells me it's typical Thomas weather. Apparently grey skies and heavy cloud seemed to follow him to Sezincote on every visit. We would walk around and he would lead. Sometimes I would point out a sickly tree and he'd advise cutting out a bigger circle, or applying sequestered iron. He just seemed to know which plants would do well on our heavy, limy soil. He was very keen on vertical accents and he always tried to mask the view, so that there were surprises at every turn. As a result, the stream garden, known as the Thornery, shines in every season with primulas, hostas, astilbes, lilies and irises planted in large blocks under choice shrubs and trees. Some, like the ancient weeping hornbeam, said to be the oldest in the country, were part of the original landscape planting. Countless attempts to propagate it have failed. One giant yew supports two roses, a 'Paul's Himalayan Musk" and a 'Kiftsgate," a reminder of Thomas the famous rosarian, who rescued so many old roses. The Temple Pool, where the water always looks grey against the pale clay, is planted with silvers and white flowers, a typically restrained Thomas touch. Spirit of Sezincote In all, Thomas spent 30 years visiting Sezincote, taking notes and then writing back with precise recommendations. In one letter he says: "Plant five Hypericum kouytchense (AGM last Tuesday) in front of three ligustrum. They will flower together. He lists planting distances and also begs for a piece of purple Campanula latifolia, "for which I'd be most grateful." When Thomas retired in 1986, he recommended a young Richard Bisgrove as "an artist and a gardener" for his replacement. Richard stopped advising only a couple of years ago. Despite the Englishness of the gardeners, it's the Indian influence that makes Sezincote so memorable: the Brahmin bulls guarding the bridge, and the Snake Fountain which sprays water a little too enthusiastically, emptying the header tank. "It's only used on holidays and high days, such as my daughter's wedding," Suki explained. Yet Sezincote is a living testament to one of the greatest English plantsmen of the 20th century, Graham Stuart Thomas, who nurtured two generations who gardened here, following his advice to the letter. Now the third, Edward (son of Suki) and Camilla Peake, has taken over. "It's a tradition to hand on Sezincote to a young family," Suki says. Edward has added a wild garden on the higher land above the Persian garden, and Camilla has taken charge of teas in the Orangery. And for a recent birthday, Camilla was given an ornate Indian taxi by her husband. It seems that they've both entered into the spirit of Sezincote, where English landscape embraces the Mogul. Sezincote Garden, Moreton-in-Marsh, Glos, is open Thurs, Fri, BH Mon, 2pm-6pm, until November. The house is open until September, 2.30pm-5.30pm (sezincote.co.uk). For more pictures of the garden, see: Sezincote garden, Gloucestershire: in pictures