Dan Pearson's restoration of Edwin Lutyens and Gertrude Jekyll's gardens at Folly Farm

A decade ago, Folly Farm in Berkshire had fallen from view; its once-renowned garden had begun to fade and decline. But after intense restoration instigated by its current owners, the gardens have been brought back to life for future generations to enjoy.

Designed in 1912, Folly Farm was one of the most complex and interesting of the garden collaborations between architect Edwin Lutyens and plantswoman Gertrude Jekyll, created in the later stages of their partnership (described by Jane Brown in her book Gardens of a Golden Afternoon as 'the vintage years of creation'). In 1906, Lutyens had been commissioned to extend the existing seventeenth-century farmhouse, which he did with typical aplomb by adding a large new wing in formal William and Mary style. Six years later, the house changed hands and Lutyens was employed to extend the house again, this time in the Arts and Crafts style that was so fashionable at the time. It was at this stage that the main gardens were laid out - a collection of contrasting garden rooms divided by crisp yew hedges and linked by herringbone brick paths; a garden irrefutably linked with the house thanks to Lutyens' dual role of architect and landscape designer.

In tune with the Arts and Crafts principles that defined it - attention to detail, fine craftsmanship and quality materials - the garden has stood the test of time, with many of the original features still intact, although much of it was in need of repair when the current owners arrived in 2007.

After extensive historical research, they took apart brickwork paths and meticulously put them back together again, rebuilt glasshouses using original fittings and reinstated features that had disappeared under concrete or grass. Then, in 2009, they approached the garden designer Dan Pearson and commissioned him to develop further parts of the garden, bringing a new, contemporary layer to this historical landscape. 'The owners and I decided that the original garden shouldn't be preserved in aspic,' explains Dan. 'Our approach has been very much in the spirit of Jekyll and Lutyens, taking inspiration from the principles of the Arts and Crafts era, but we also wanted to move the garden forward, rejuvenating rather than restoring it.'

The Lutyens garden rooms retain their original character, with the tall yew hedges clipped as in Lutyens' day to the same level throughout to mask the slope. There are three main garden rooms near the house: the Dutch Canal Garden to mirror the gable end of the William and Mary wing, the Flower Parterre in front of the Arts and Crafts wing and the Sunken Pool Garden, which was originally planted with roses and lavender. The Flower Parterre was Jekyll's chance to shine - a broad, enclosed space with large square beds in which she could plant her characteristic colour-themed sweeps of perennials. When Dan arrived, the beds had been laid to lawn, so the original layout was reinstated and a new planting scheme devised. Having studied old Country Life photographs of the garden, as well as Jekyll's writings on colour theory, he was able to recognise many of the plants used by Jekyll, but felt he didn't want to simply recreate a slice of history.

'The new borders are very much in the Jekyll spirit, particularly in terms of the colours we've used,' says Dan. 'But there are so many new and better plants available now that it made sense to move it on. We met Jekyll halfway.' Crambes, bergenias and lavender were all used by her, and are incorporated here, as well as miscanthus, which she loved, and modern forms of perennials in mauves, silvers and whites. Similarly, the Sunken Pool Garden has had a new planting scheme with borders of tall, diaphanous perennials that soften Lutyens' architectural paths, the iconic semi-circular steps and ornate octagonal pool.