Thanks for all the positive comments!
Like CastleFarm, we suffer a bit from the wind - tho we are only just above sea level, the storms rush in off the Irish Sea and have very little to break their force. We also have some big conifers along one side, where the worst winds hit, but still get buffetted badly from the front of the house, as we don't want to plant anything too big to block the view!
Anthony