A cottage-style Somerset plot on a grand scale, the woman who created it influenced a nation, and at this time of year, the early risers make it simply radiant
FEBRUARY CAN BE the coldest month of the year, but at East Lambrook Manor, the garden is bursting into life. On the wide stretch of lawn at the front of the handsome 15th century house near South Petherton, Somerset, the bright winter sunshine highlights a river of purple as hundreds of naturalised Crocus tommasinianus encircle the trunk of a variegated sycamore, like a moat surrounding a castle tower. Golden stamens shine from the centres of the blooms, torch-like, while dotted among the crocuses are the yellow, buttercup-like blooms of winter aconites, Eranthis hyemalis.
This is one of the most exciting times of the gardening year for East Lambrook Manor. Created by Margery Fish – one of the 20th century’s most renowned gardeners and plant collectors – the garden became known for her relaxed planting style: an approach that has continued under the stewardship of current owner Mike Werkmeister. “It’s the quintessential cottage garden, but what’s really special is the fact that it’s a garden on a small, human scale,” he explains. “People come here for ideas and feel they could do exactly the same in their own gardens.”
Mike and his late wife, Gail, moved from London to East Lambrook Manor 16 years ago. “We weren’t actively looking to move at the time, but we were attracted by the idea of living in the Somerset countryside,” says Mike. �
