MARGERY FISH

(1892–1969)

‘WE MADE A GARDEN’

East Lambrook Manor, Margery Fish’s cottage garden

If Margery Fish’s name had been mentioned in gardening circles forty years ago, no further explanation would have been necessary. Back then, this expert plantswoman would have been familiar even to those not fortunate enough to have visited her garden at East Lambrook Manor in Somerset. Many of the plants she raised could be found in gardens all over England and every garden-loving household would surely have had at least one of her books on a bookshelf or bedside table.

Advice from the pen of plantswoman and author Margery Fish was always highly practical and based on her own experience; as a result, her tips are just as relevant today as they were at the time. Her first book, We Made a Garden, published in 1956 (and which was originally to be called Gardening with Walter, in reference to her husband), can be devoured in one go. Margery Fish was a hit with the entire gardening public. Women, in particular those who had been involved in creating a garden and had struggled at first hand with all the trials and tribulations, felt in tune with her ideas. They could rely on her as a source of reference for all the essential skills: from composting to watering, building paths, staking plants and, above all, clever ways of bringing a garden under control. Her book Carefree Gardening encourages amateur gardeners to adopt a more casual approach rather than view gardening as an inflexible, regimented activity. When Margery Fish wrote this book in the 1960s, she was, in her way, as revolutionary as the Beatles. Gardening books at the time were typically written in pseudoscientific style and instructions had to be followed to the letter. Margery Fish, on the other hand, ignored prevailing trends in gardening and developed a garden purely according to her own taste – and this in spite of being under the constantly watchful eye of Walter.

Walter Fish was behind the decision in 1937 to buy a house in the country. As editor-in-chief of the Daily Mail he was all too aware of the precarious political situation in Europe. Margery was Walter’s personal secretary and an important figure in London’s Fleet Street: before she met her husband, she had already made a name for herself while working under the newspaper magnate Lord Northcliffe. The couple eventually purchased East Lambrook Manor at the end of a three-month search, having initially rejected it as a wreck. However, between their first and second viewings the property, which dates back to the fourteenth century, had undergone various cosmetic improvements: untidy bushes had been removed from the front garden, tiles had replaced the corrugated iron on the roof, and the interior walls had been newly painted. Attracted by the cottage-style character of this fairly modest manor house, and by the relatively large rooms, the couple quickly realized that they had found their ideal home. They began the renovation work and moved in. It was only months later that they faced the problem of what to do with the garden.

The garden was small, overgrown and a far cry from the splendour of the cottage garden as it is today. At the time it was divided into a front garden and two small areas behind the house, which were on a slightly higher level and enclosed by stone walls. There was also a variegated sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus ‘Leopoldii’) growing here that – apart from the apple trees in the adjacent pasture – was the only tree in the garden. Walls ran through the garden to the outbuildings and had to be either removed or altered by replacing the unattractive coping stones with flat slabs that jutted out less. It was left to Margery to carry out all these tasks, and the foundations of her garden were truly laid when she planted her first rock garden plants in the joints and crevices of these walls.

The ‘Barton’, a circular area in front of the house, was originally the site of a horse-operated apple press but had long since become a jungle. Once the undergrowth had been cleared, however, Margery and Walter Fish had a far better idea of the potential of the place. They planned a driveway to the Malthouse, which was due to be converted into a garage, and a large area of lawn around the sycamore to create an increased sense of space. Borders were placed along the boundary wall and bit by bit the garden began to take shape. Like many other English women gardeners, Margery Fish was in her late forties when she found herself tackling a garden for the first time. Apart from some childhood notions, she had virtually no experience of gardening and mistakenly assumed that her husband was equally ignorant in such matters. However, to her astonishment, Walter Fish was in fact quite knowledgeable and knew exactly what he did or did not want.

East Lambrook Manor is the epitome of a cottage garden, as this dreamy and seemingly effortless composition shows. Rosa ‘Parade’ cascades over a wooden frame, while Geranium × oxonianum, campanulas and irises intermingle companionably at the foot of a ginkgo tree.

The newest part of the garden is on the site of the old apple orchard. Mike Werkmeister planted the trees but the tapestry of ground-cover plants in the Hellebore Garden was conceived by head gardener Mark Stainer, in keeping with Margery Fish’s ethos.

PLANNING THE GARDEN

The garden was to be an extension of the house, a plan that ideally suited East Lambrook Manor since the front door opened directly on to the garden. The priority was to design a garden that was as modest and undemanding as the house. They envisaged a ‘cottage garden in fact, with crooked paths and unexpected corners’. Walter had definite ideas regarding the paths: they must be made of gravel, laid on the right kind of foundation and be rolled on a regular basis. Like the paths, the paving around the house had to be kept clear of weeds, with the narrowest of joints to prevent plants getting a foothold. Margery would have loved to leave little cracks and crevices for small plants, as had been possible in the walls, but she dutifully complied with her husband’s wishes. Anyone visiting the garden today and comparing it with photographs taken after Walter’s death in 1949 will notice that Margery did in the end get her own way in this and various other matters.

Margery’s nephew, Henry Boyd-Carpenter, described Walter Fish as a Jekyll-and-Hyde figure. On the one hand he was actively involved, creative and willing to take a gamble; on the other, perfectly capable of destroying one of Margery’s treasured and carefully nurtured plants if it failed to look ‘healthy’. Afterwards, he would congratulate himself on having tidied up the garden. Margery Fish accepted all this with a sense of humour and equanimity: ‘Often I would go out and find a row of sick-looking plants, laid out like a lot of dead rats. It became something like a game.’

Their views differed considerably on the subject of buying plants. Walter considered that lupins and dahlias were the proper sort of plants for the garden, and not the more delicately flowery and leafy plants that Margery favoured. He also thought that Margery did not look after his preferred plants properly – she watered them too little – so in his opinion there was no point in buying yet more plants. Margery got around this situation by saying that any new plants appearing in the garden were in fact gifts, which it would have been too rude to refuse. Gardening with Walter must have been frustrating but Margery did admit that in the long run she learned a great deal from him, even if it sometimes meant doing the opposite of what he advocated.

East Lambrook Manor Gardens opened to the public for the first time in the 1950s, a few years after Walter’s death. Word of Margery’s talent had spread and she was being asked to write articles and give talks. The garden and Margery’s style of writing brought a breath of fresh air into what had previously been a fairly rigid gardening scene; she reflected neither modern ideas nor Walter’s conception of a garden. East Lambrook Manor was, and is, a place for plants, whether as ground-cover for shady areas, alpines for tiny crevices in stone walls, or lush stands of perennials for the mixed borders. The garden is not to everyone’s taste. For some it is too bitty, overcrowded with flowers and lacking a coherent design; but East Lambrook Manor is after all a cottage garden, and so by definition combines new and old in an orchestrated chaos. There are neither rules nor blueprints for such gardens, since each has a particular flair that depends largely on their surroundings – an aspect that Margery Fish was quick to recognize. The wild flowers entering the garden by chance fascinated her as much as cultivated varieties. Plants such as columbines (Aquilegia), lungwort (Pulmonaria) and primroses (Primula) captured her imagination and she cultivated them in their hundreds. Primroses were a particular favourite, planted in the best spots and treated to the best compost, which Margery Fish was an expert at producing. She realized early on that she would have to enrich the heavy, clay soil if her darlings were to flourish, so every winter around 4.25 cubic metres/5.5 cubic yards of homemade compost were diligently spread over the 0.4-hectare/1-acre garden. Even though the plants looked as though they were left to themselves, they were only flourishing as a result of good traditional gardening practice.

‘Pudding trees’, as Margery Fish called them, line a path that looks almost set to vanish under waves of lime-green Euphorbia hyberna, lilac Phuopsis stylosa and red Salvia microphylla var. microphylla ‘Newby Hall’.

The Silver Garden is a feast for the eyes. Set amid the varied textures of plants such as Iris pallida ‘Argentea Variegata’, Artemisia absinthium ‘Lambrook Mist’ and spiky cardoons (Cynara cardunculus) are touches of colour from burgundy Lysimachia atropurpurea, pretty pink Dianthus ‘Lilian’ and a profusion of other plants.

A PROFUSION OF PLANTS

The garden is a mixture – some might say jumble – of perennials, annuals, biennials, bulbs, tubers, corms, trees, shrubs and roses. Planted in profusion, they provide each other with mutual support and overlap or cascade in a way that naturally forms a harmonious picture. According to Margery, roses should not be planted as an isolated group but teamed with appropriate companion plants, and on this matter she was always open to advice. When Vita Sackville-West visited East Lambrook Manor, Margery mentioned her desire to clothe a pear tree and two apple trees with the blooms of a climber. Initially she was not particularly keen on Vita’s suggestion of planting Rosa longicuspis but nevertheless, when three roses arrived by post from Sissinghurst the following January, they were, as instructed, simply pressed into the ground by the trees – where in following years they flowered profusely from May until autumn. These roses, along with other clever plant combinations such as Rosa ‘Iceberg’ with Artemisia absinthium ‘Lambrook Silver’ and Iris ‘Paper Moon’, were intended to extend the garden’s magnificent show of flowers beyond summer’s flourish.

This is how a cottage garden should look, with roses framing the windows, tubs around the door, and a riot of self-seeding plants like valerian (Centranthus) crowding up to the honey-coloured stone walls.

Evergreen ornamental shrubs such as Garrya elliptica, Mahonia aquifolium, Osmanthus delavayi, yews, various types of holly, as well as variegated juniper (Juniperus chinensis ‘Expansa Variegata’) and other conifers, can be found dotted around the garden. They contribute to a mix that is unconventional and yet looks right here. Margery had her own ideas on how planting schemes should look, stating that: ‘Very informal planting needs the restraint of clipped conifers and dwarf hedges.’ As a result, the planting at East Lambrook Manor is not arranged in drifts or blocks but in small-scale scenarios that serve to highlight favourite plants.

After Margery Fish’s death in 1969, the house had a succession of owners and an effort was made to turn East Lambrook Manor into a tourist destination. Despite the additions, the garden has retained its essence for almost fifty years and even today still reflects the spirit of its creator, who gardened in a way that was free from convention and affectation. Under the guidance of current owners Mike and Gail Werkmeister, who took over in August 2008, there is every chance that East Lambrook Manor will regain its position as one of England’s most important gardens. Mike possesses certain qualities indispensable for the task: a strong interest in plants, a commitment to intensive and detailed maintenance, and an intuitive feel for what the garden needs. He takes care of the trees, shrubs and climbers, pruning them back into shape and replacing them when necessary. As a trained graphic designer, his artistic sensitivity is invaluable when it comes to seeing the overall picture; and as someone who drives a canary-yellow Morgan, he may have just the right amount of eccentricity to get to grips with the place.

The input required at East Lambrook far exceeds that of any ordinary garden, which is why tribute must be paid to head gardener Mark Stainer. He started work here as a fifteen-year-old and, after thirty-five years, is familiar with every nook and cranny. As well as being a link in the garden’s continuity, he is an expert gardener with a special interest in perennials. So when the diseased apple trees near the Ditch had to be felled, he created a marvellous new Hellebore and Geranium Garden in their place.

THEMED AREAS

Compared with other listed gardens, East Lambrook is relatively small but is packed full of plants providing year-round impact. During Margery Fish’s tenure the garden developed in an organic way. Different themed areas evolved as time went by and Margery’s plant knowledge and confidence expanded. Although the plot is fundamentally rectangular in plan, the perception of its shape and size is blurred by the two central buildings, the Malthouse and Cowhouse. The garden appears to wrap itself around these adjacent buildings, which are far more dominant than the manor house itself, sitting unobtrusively in the furthest corner of the property. The unusual relationship of the buildings led to a sequence of different areas being formed – some large, some small; some raised, some sunken – which, thanks to the basic structure provided by Walter Fish, fit together as a coherent whole.

To the side of the house, just above the large, open area of lawn, is the Terrace Garden, bisected by a path lined with Margery’s distinctive ‘pudding trees’ (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana ‘Fletcheri’). This path forms one of the few visual axes in the garden but, in the true spirit of a cottage garden, is not completely straight. Narrower paths hardly wider than a trail dissect the lushly planted areas and lead to the Silver Garden, or further on to the Top Lawn, neither of which are much bigger than a small urban back garden. The White Garden is even smaller, closer in size to a large flower bed; and as Gail Werkmeister suggests, is best viewed from below in order to appreciate its full impact. While horticulture is not her field, Gail enjoys the atmosphere of the garden, appreciates the sumptuous profusion of plants and is gradually learning their names.

The roughly rectangular area forming the Top Lawn is a peaceful spot where the garden’s pace slows. Here it is possible to draw breath and stand back to reflect on the riot of impressions. Dominated by a multi-stemmed snowy mespilus (Amelanchier), it is also an area that is showing its age. All established gardens need rejuvenating; it is just a question of how and when. Mike has planned for this by planting younger trees and shrubs in anticipation of the future, so that the overall effect is retained. As well as introducing a young snowy mespilus to the Top Lawn, near the house he has planted a Spanish broom (Spartium junceum) that he grew from seed and had brought with him from his London garden. Surprisingly, on looking through the list of plants Margery had in the garden, he discovered that a Spanish broom had existed up on the Strip near where the plant sales area is today. This and other ‘souvenirs’ from his previous garden reinforce the cottage garden ethos of East Lambrook Manor; the little pink Magnolia stellata, the peony and rockrose, as well as a columnar box plant brought from Rosemary Verey’s garden at Barnsley House (see here) and a collection of plant containers including old chimney pots, have all found a natural home here.

When seen from the open, sunny terrace, which manages to look bright and cheerful even on dull days, the area behind the Malthouse appears dark, damp and melancholy. But there are interesting discoveries to be made here once the eyes have adjusted to the shade. The Ditch, a natural stream that only rarely fills with water and is humorously known as ‘the lido’, is home to a patchwork of plants so diverse that it is hard to believe there really is space for them all. These are the luxuriant leafy plants that Margery so longed for. In the old days, when safety was less of a concern, visitors were allowed to make their way cautiously down the narrow stone steps at the bottom end of the Ditch and tiptoe through the thick tapestry of plants such as yellow skunk cabbage (Lysichiton americanus), Ligularia dentata and the impressive plate-like leaves of Darmera peltata (syn. Peltiphyllum peltatum). As elsewhere in the garden, ferns and other plants have populated not only the ground but the walls as well, reinforcing the lushness of the planting. Out of the shade cast by the Malthouse the character of the Ditch changes; it is lighter, the banks wider and the planting seems to spill into the adjoining Hellebore and Geranium Garden. The Ditch is magical at any time of year, whether in February when covered with a mass of snowdrops, or in summer with its show of perennials and the sprouting growth of stumpy pollarded willows, which are a reminder of the Somerset Levels.

Walter’s large expanse of lawn behind the manor house is the only open area in a garden full both of rare treasures and wild flowers typical of Somerset, like the teasel (Dipsacus sativus) under this variegated sycamore.

The Ditch, with its striking pollarded willows, contains an astonishing medley of plants. In early spring the whole area is covered with thousands of snowdrops.

This back section of the garden either side of the Ditch has seen the most change since Margery Fish’s time. When Andrew Norton took over East Lambrook Manor from Margery Fish’s nephew, cars parked at the top of the garden and visitors walked through the apple orchard along a winding path towards the Barton. Their first view was of the lawn, the sycamore and the manor house in the distance. It was charming but ultimately impractical. After the property was sold in the late 1990s and a reappraisal of the site’s logistics undertaken, the plant sales area was relocated to the far side of the Ditch, the visitor entrance was moved opposite the Malthouse and a much-needed car park built in the adjacent paddock.

In the wake of all these changes Mike Werkmeister is taking things slowly. He is committed to the distinctive cottage-style character of the garden – which is precisely why he is the right catalyst for East Lambrook Manor and its marvellous team of gardeners and volunteers. He positively bubbles with enthusiasm and is a worthy successor to Margery Fish, as exemplified by his improvements to one of the garden’s less prominent areas. The old garden wall next to the Cowhouse was falling apart so he decided to rebuild it with the help of a local craftsman. Little gaps were left in the coping so that rock plants could establish themselves and, as a finishing touch, they found a small stone trough just the right size to be placed at the end of the wall, in which Mike planted dwarf plants like tiny white carnations and delicate Geranium sessiliflorum ‘Porters Pass’. By adding to the garden’s layers of detail in a manner so in keeping with Margery Fish’s legacy, Mike and his team are sustaining the magic of East Lambrook Manor, a special cottage garden in which surprises are to be found around every corner.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

	You can’t make a garden in a hurry, particularly one belonging to an old house. House and garden must look as if they had grown up together and the only way to do this is to live in the house, get the feel of it, and then by degrees the idea of the garden will grow.
	You mustn’t rely on your flowers to make your garden attractive. A good bone structure must come first, with an intelligent use of evergreen plants so that the garden is always clothed, no matter what time of year.
	Gardens with walls are easily clothed as there are many climbing plants that are quite happy clambering over other plants.
	One way to furnish the carefree garden is to leave some of the self-sown seedlings, which nature distributes so freely.

SIGNATURE PLANTS

	Different plants come to the fore depending on the season. Valerian (Centranthus), spurge (Euphorbia) and Gladiolus communis subsp. byzantinus appear throughout the garden in early summer.
	Margery had an affinity with old-fashioned plants such as Artemisia absinthium ‘Lambrook Silver’, Jacob’s ladders including Polemonium ‘Lambrook Mauve’ and rockroses (Cistus), plants she wanted to preserve.
	Perennial cultivars bred by Margery Fish and available in East Lambrook Manor’s plant centre include: Artemisia absinthium ‘Lambrook Silver’; Astrantia major subsp. involucrata ‘Margery Fish’; Bergenia ‘Margery Fish’; Euphorbia characias subsp. wulfenii ‘Lambrook Gold’; Hebe ‘Margery Fish’; Polemonium ‘Lambrook Mauve’ (Jacob’s ladder); Primula ‘Lambrook Mauve’; Pulmonaria ‘Margery Fish’ (lungwort); and Santolina ‘Lambrook Variety’.