East Lambrook Manor Garden

We stumbled upon this garden on our way to visit Avon Bulb Nursery. We found out about Avon at The Chelsea Garden Show and decided to make a stop even though we knew we couldn't take anything back to California. At a little past closing time, we stopped at East Lambrook and met the owner. He was excited to give us a personal tour of the garden created by Margery Fish and billed as the "Home of English Cottage Garden". That's a grand title.

It is a gem of a garden and our most exciting discovery. Unlike every English garden I've seen on this trip(10), this garden is about the plant groups and color combinations. There are no vista, horizon or borrowed landscape here. That requires too many resources and this garden was created in a much humbler time. There were no men to work nor did anyone have excess money. You are now your own gardener.


Beautiful, healthy greens, whites and creams with purples. There's nothing ugly here. Wow!



And, my favorite, Copper Beach with a large varigated form of Acer platinoides and me, tired from a long day of gardens and ready for a cocktail.



The White Garden with lots of silver and chartreuse. Dazzling & energizing.









Below you can see the mesmerizing contrast of the Gladiolus byzantinus and an Euphorbia.