by Penny Royal

Renowned cellist Robert Truman is nothing if not determined when it comes to his second passion - gardening.

The Sydney-born musician, whose CV reads like a who's who of the classical music world, has worked with such greats as Maria Callas, Yehoudi Menuhin, Artur Rubinstein and Rudolf Nureyev. But now he has exchanged a globe trotting life for a much quieter one in which plants play a large part.

Anyone who has visited Cranbrook has the fun-loving Robert, 51, to thank for transforming his historic home in a narrow alley into what he jokingly calls "the hanging gardens of Bobbylon".

Five years ago, he fell in love with a former Georgian hat factory, now called Hatters Cottage: a sadly-neglected three-storey house in need of shovel-loads of TLC.

On the gardening front, one of his first jobs was to line the alleyway with pots and hanging baskets containing everything from bamboo to hydrangeas, hollies to surfinias and fuchsias to fatsias.

He said: "When I came here it was a bit of a hostile place. People used to punch in the ground floor windows and throw the plants about. It certainly wasn't for the faint hearted."

Thanks to an unknown woman gardener on the radio he persevered when others would have thrown in the trowel.

"She said `Yobs are very determined but you have to be even more determined'. I shall always be eternally grateful to her for that piece of advice.

"Plants have a very civilising effect on people and now all I get is compliments. It is a wonderful way to meet people. Complete strangers knock on the door to say how lovely it is."

As well as the transformed alley, Robert's tiny south-facing garden is crammed with plants which surround a horticultural gem - a 100-year-old apricot tree. It had just three fruits this year, its reluctance to produce more probably due to the lack of pruning in previous years.

The garden, with a small terrace, brick path, large Victorian lamps with candles, and hidden sculptures, is crammed with over flowing pots and every available piece of ground is planted up.

The land on which Hatters Cottage stands was bought in 1775 for £40 by John Tooth who is presumed to have built the tall, narrow factory. It past through the family until 1839 when it was owned by William B Tooth and is one of the last Georgian hat factories in Great Britain.

Robert left the busy orchestral world - London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Opera House, the London Philharmonic etc - for an easier life as a freelance.

"It was very stressful and I just wanted a quieter life. Even now people say can you get to Stanstead for a flight to Rome and a concert tonight and I just have to say no.

"My great passion has always been gardening. I used to help my grandmother in Australia when I was five because she had bad knees. My family have all got a Cecile Brunner rose in memory of her planted in their gardens, including me."

He has many roses but is slightly regretting the "Kiftsgate" which is threatening to take over and has renamed the equally rampant "Rambling Rector" the "vicious vicar".

Not content with his own plot, he would like to persuade the parish council to allow him to develop the Crane Valley, near his home.

"I would really love to take it over. It has the Crane stream and just imagine a Monet bridge with water lily ponds, it would be just like a mini Giverny down there."

Given his determination, it is quite likely he will succeed.