It's a sight to make any gardener green with envy.

Seven acres of lovingly crafted land described as a little patch of heaven, topped off with a unique country house.

But it wasnt always that way.

Orchards is the former home of horticulturalist and gardening writer Arthur Hellyer, known by millions as the Alan Titchmarsh of his day.

He and his wife Gay bought a plot of scrubland in the hamlet of Rowfant, near Turners Hill, as newly-weds in 1934.

They built a little wooden shack at bottom of the garden and camped in it while they designed the home and garden of their dreams.

The couple, who lived in Merton, South London, spent all their spare time in Sussex and eventually built both the Canadian-style barn and the garden.

Now the home is being sold by the couples daughter Penelope and her husband Philip, who are moving to Italy.

Penelope said: It was a difficult decision to sell and when we made it in May it was like the start of a grieving process but we have to go. I think father would be sad we are selling it but I also think he would be pleased by what Philip and I have done.

We are hoping it will be sold to someone who will appreciate all the love and hard work that has gone into it.

I love it because I grew up here but other people tell me they can feel a great sense of love and warmth in the garden and the house. There is a comfortable feel to the house and the garden is such a tranquil place.

My daughter Sorcha calls it a little patch of heaven and thats what it feels like.

Hellyer, who started his professional life as a pot boy, became a horticultural writer, editor of Amateur Gardening and regular contributor to publications like Homes & Gardens, Country Life and the Financial Times. He also wrote many gardening books and was awarded an MBE.

While he wrote Gay, a botanist, biologist and zoologist, made detailed plans and diagrams for everything, including the electrical wiring of the house.

Penelope said: It was my mother who pushed the practical side. She was lame with arthritis and was definitely not a woman of her day.

The house itself started off as a two up, two down and has twice been extended to make it into a four bedroom detached house with outbuildings. But it is the garden that has become the central attraction.

From 1939 it became a market garden for the war effort and it doubled as a practical working laboratory for Hellyers books and articles.

More recently it has opened to the public to raise funds for charities like the National Gardens Scheme and the British Red Cross and was listed in the Good Gardens Guide.

Penelope said: The garden is halfway between Crawley and East Grinstead and ten minutes from Gatwick but it is totally secluded and so tranquil.

Over the years Philip and I have developed the borders and put more colour around the house and, I think, made it more intimate but there are still plenty of wild and woodland areas.

Until recently Penelope ran a nursery at the site.

Both Penelopes parents wrote and she recently found two books one his, one hers, in a shed. They are a nice addition to my collection, she said.

But it is the sights, sounds and smells of the gardens she will miss most, not to mention the half century of emotions wrapped up in it.

One of the oak trees is called the Memory Oak, which is where Penelope goes to talk to her mother.

She said: The children used to have their swing underneath it so they knew it was special to granny.

As she prepares for her new life in Italy, she is hoping whoever buys the house will continue to lavish time and love on her fathers lifes work.

She said: They dont have to be qualified Im not but that doesnt stop you being a good gardener.

The house is being sold privately and the price is available on request. For further information, email orchardsinfo@sorchahellyer.com or call Penelope on 07796 560256.