Shropshire hillside gardens are a blooming marvel

Both are at challenging altitudes high in the hills – and one was never even expected to be created.

But now they are breathtaking examples of what can be done against all the odds and both will be open to the public on Sunday as part of the National Gardens Scheme.

Stuart and Carol Buxton were told by a surveyor that they would never be able to build their stunning oasis at their dream home in the south Shropshire hills – 1,100 ft above sea level.

But since 1990, they have been fighting the elements to prove that a garden could be created at Marehay Farm, the property near Ratlinghope which they bought in 1982.

"The original survey on the house said that 'there is no garden and, at this elevation and aspect, there never will be'," says Stuart. "But we have proven the surveyor wrong."

Now where there was once boulders and rubble there is a beautiful woodland and water garden with many delightful damp and shade tolerant perennials including a myriad of hostas and primulas.

Rhododendrons, azaleas and many other specimen shrubs and trees can also be found.

A series of pools and waterfalls has also been created running down the hillside.

Carol said: "There are now two acres under cultivation and three acres of woodland. It was created from the house outwards, just experimenting to see what would grow. It has evolved. There was no plan and we have learned a lot."

The couple tried many plants to see which would thrive in the clay conditions in the garden which is overlooked by the Stiperstones and the Long Mynd. And they still cannot resist the temptation to buy another plant.

Stuart said: "We do not drink and we do not smoke, but we are addicted to plants."

He says it is hard to put into hours how much time they spend in their garden, complete with a Swiss-style chalet, but in the spring, when the conditions are right "we have a blitz".

The garden has also become a haven for wildlife."We are a honeypot for birds," said Stuart. Spotted flycatchers, wagtails, cuckoos and even a red kite can often be seen and heard.

Carol added: "It has been a real labour of love. It has been hard work. But we love living here, the freedom and the beauty of the place."

In another part of the south Shropshire hills, another couple have created a showpiece garden also at altitude, this time 1,400 feet above sea level.

Robin and Polly Smith have created their natural garden at Crossways, near Newcastle-on-Clun, overlooking a nature reserve.

At this altitude, plants bloom much later and have to be very hardy to survive and only three weeks ago the garden was covered in an unexpected dumping of snow.

"Fortunately, the late snow hasn't done too much damage," says Polly, whose pictures of the snow in their garden in May made the national headlines.

"Many of the plants we grow originate from countries where snow and lower temperatures are normal, such as the Himalayas, Northern Europe and North America.

"We have learned over the years what to grow at this altitude. Anyone with similar growing conditions would find a visit to our garden useful."

Crossways, which was the winner of the Shropshire Star/National Gardens Scheme Best Garden competition in 2012, is full of hardy perennials, including Meconopsis and Primula Florindea, as well as a vegetable garden and a four-acre species-rich wildflower garden.

Both gardens will be open to the public on Sunday as part of the National Gardens Scheme.