Thekitchengardenis
plantedwithdahlias,
geraniumsandcannas.
Clippedolives,boxand
bay trees add structure
theirfeetis a gloriousarrayofdahliasthatpeakfromAugustin
combinationwithasters,heleniums,verbenabonariensisandgladioli.
Japanesedesignclearlyhasa particularresonancewiththe
Lamberts.‘Itbringssimplicityandcalmthatcontrastwiththemore
ebullientareasofthegarden,’explainsPhillippa.Theinfluenceof
Japanesestyleis evidentintheirself-buildhome,a contemporary
‘boathouse’thatextendsitsdecksoverthenewlydredgedlake.
‘Thedesignunitesthearchitectureofthehousewiththe
landscape,providingstudiosforusboth,’shenotes.
Ontheothersideofthehouse,Japanesedesignpervadesa
shelteredcourtyard.‘Thiscourtyardis theonlyelementthatis
trulycontemporary,’sheexplains.‘Thecourtyardservesasan
anteroom,providinga coolcontrasttotheriotofcolourinthe
walledgarden,andtothelushprofusionoftheadjacent,semi-
tropicalborders.’Someeightyearsago,a slatespherewas
installedtocreatea focusinthecourtyard,made to Phillippa’s
designbya talentedfriend,GlennCooke.
Apartfromhelpwithspecialisttreesurgery,PhillippaandSteve
managethegardensthemselvesintheirsparetime.Theirsis not
an‘expert’garden,theyinsist,nordotheytryfortechnical
perfectioninanysense.‘“Makedoandmend”andself-sufficiency
arethemotivationforallthegrowinginthewalledgarden,’they
explain.‘Inessence,thissitegoesbacktothephilosophyof
ancientgardensinsustainingthebodyaswellasthesoul.’
Pre-arrangedgardenvisitsforgroupsof15-35peopletakeplaceuntil
30 Septemberwithdonationstothelocalhospice.Twoholidaycottages
within the gardens are available for rent. Visit lakehousedesign.co.uk.
Visit...MottistoneManor
GardensandEstate,near
Brighstone.A lovelyNational
Trustgardenwithan
Elizabethanmanoratitsheart
(nationaltrust.org.uk).
Shopat...TheCoastalGardener
(thecoastalgardener.co.uk),a
smallspecialistmaritimeplant
nurseryrunbyGerryPriceat
FakenhamFarminStHelens.
Goforamealat...
Thompson’sinNewport.A
contemporaryBritishrestaurant
runbychefRobertThompson
(robertthompson.co.uk).On Our dOOrstep...