A garden is a growing living thing - plants die and have to be replaced - but like Ralph, the garden and the house were of the 20th century it is the influence of that period that the National Trust wishes to preserve.
That is not to say that we will not plant new and possibly improved varieties of Philadephus along the Philadelphus walk or newly discovered varieties of Salvia in the terrace border or sunken garden - we will. This is all part of a living, thriving garden. Ralph would have done this, but we will keep the main structure and ambiance of the garden intact.
By his own admission Ralph Dutton was no plantsman but he knew what he liked, Lilac, Luburnum and Philadelphus, for example and with the help of his friends he brought great variety into the garden - we will continue to do so.
Changes may have to be made, because of the large numbers of visitors we have to the garden, who cause wear and tear, particularly on the grass paths, for which they were never designed.