LAKESIDE SPIRIT
Wild and wonderful, this ever-changing garden is bursting with lush greenery
Viewing this tranquil landscape as the sun sets, it is impossible to envisage anything other than a garden vibrant with plants, woodland echoing with birdsong, and untroubled reflections upon the clear waters of the lake. But when Phillippa and Steve Lambert first visited in 2001, they describe a scene that is unrecognisable today: ‘It was complete dereliction.’ The once-magnificent 19th-century gardens were consumed by a tangle of undergrowth, rubbish was strewn throughout, and the lake was clouded and silted up. ‘Yet, somehow, the garden still retained a beguiling grandeur,’ they recall. ‘We recognised we could make a difference to a lost historic landscape.’ Phillippa and Steve have fully realised that potential through carefully crafted design, while always keeping in sympathy with a historic site. The garden is now one of many design themes interacting within a relatively small space. ‘But there is always just enough area for the transitions not to seem forced or incongruous – the original design of the site dictated this,’ Phillippa points out. Having lived and gardened on the Isle of Wight on and off for 50 years, the couple were very aware of local conditions and the favourable microclimate. The garden is located on the wooded slopes of Undercliff, a narrow tract of land that skirts the island’s southern coastline. The name ‘Undercliff’ derives from an escarpment that backs this sheltered area. ‘It makes our garden warmer than elsewhere on the island,’ explains Phillippa. This nurturing environment is ideal for an array of exotic plants that fill the semi-tropical borders around the house – Paulownia tomentosa, hardy bananas, salvias and ginger lilies. ‘We take cuttings where possible, and wrap up specimens that are too large to move,’ she says. Occasionally temperatures drop below zero
❝the garden is constantly evolving. i experiment with annuals and the borders change radically year❞ every
and truly tender species such as aeoniums, daturas and strelitzias are overwintered in the glasshouse. ‘The garden is always evolving, and these borders change radically every year,’ Phillippa adds. It is a similar story in the walled potager, a reinstatement of the original early Victorian kitchen garden. ‘I experiment with annuals and I’m always looking for the perfect blue contrast to the reds and oranges of the cannas and dahlias,’ she says. To date, the best shade she has found is Ageratum ‘Everest Blue’, one of countless plants grown annually from seed or cuttings in the Alitex greenhouse. ‘It’s absolutely essential – I like the look of overflowing abundance, and the only way to achieve that is with many, many plants.’ After a century of decline, the original walled garden housed a tropical bird park until 1996. ‘Planning permission was given to build a contemporary house on the site, on the proviso that the landscape be restored within two years,’ Phillippa explains. ‘Initially, our greatest challenge was demolishing structures and getting rid of the rubbish.’ Derelict metal bird cages had to be dismantled whilst a network of drains needed clearing. ‘We then carefully reinstated the kitchen garden, complete with period-style greenhouse, cold frames, potting shed and paths arranged in a decorative potager design that embraces annuals, herbs, fruits and vegetables.’ Following the line of the original Victorian path, a central brick path is lined with repeated clumps of evergreen Euphorbia ceratocarpa, creating a golden-green haze. Access paths separate the area into 16 beds, as well as six raised beds built from locally grown timber. Permanent structure is provided by olive and bay trees which are kept in shape with a light clipping twice a year. At
❝The variety of moods and atmospheres make this garden special. As a visitor once wrote, it is a miniature ‘Lost Gardens of Heligan’ in a magical seaside location❞
their feet is a glorious array of dahlias that peak from August in combination with asters, heleniums, verbena bonariensis and gladioli. Japanese design clearly has a particular resonance with the Lamberts. ‘It brings simplicity and calm that contrast with the more ebullient areas of the garden,’ explains Phillippa. The influence of Japanese style is evident in their self-build home, a contemporary ‘boat house’ that extends its decks over the newly dredged lake. ‘The design unites the architecture of the house with the landscape, providing studios for us both,’ she notes. On the other side of the house, Japanese design pervades a sheltered courtyard. ‘This courtyard is the only element that is truly contemporary,’ she explains. ‘The courtyard serves as an anteroom, providing a cool contrast to the riot of colour in the walled garden, and to the lush profusion of the adjacent, semitropical borders.’ Some eight years ago, a slate sphere was installed to create a focus in the courtyard, made to Phillippa’s design by a talented friend, Glenn Cooke. Apart from help with specialist tree surgery, Phillippa and Steve manage the gardens themselves in their spare time. Theirs is not an ‘expert’ garden, they insist, nor do they try for technical perfection in any sense. ‘“Make do and mend” and self-sufficiency are the motivation for all the growing in the walled garden,’ they explain. ‘In essence, this site goes back to the philosophy of ancient gardens in sustaining the body as well as the soul.’ Pre-arranged garden visits for groups of 15-35 people take place until 30 September with donations to the local hospice. Two holiday cottages within the gardens are available for rent. Visit lakehousedesign.co.uk.