Garden of the influential gardener and writer Margery Fish, awash in late winter with snowdrops and naturalised Crocus tommasinianus amongst an array of scented flowering shrubs. Cared for now by Mike and Gail Werkmeister, with head gardener Mark Stainer. Mrs Fish came to gardening in middle age, after marrying Walter Fish, editor of the Daily Mail who she had worked for as PA, in 1933 at the age of 41 and moving to East Lambrook from London in 1937 as war loomed on the horizon. Walter died in 1949, a sad fact that meant Margery could then develop the garden as she wished, without compromise. She went on to write books including Gardening for Shade and Ground Cover Gardening, as well as many articles in newspapers and magazines. Her mixed borders, informal style, enthusiasm for cottage garden plants and eye for detail has been an enormous influence on the way we garden now. East Lambrook is an approachable garden, not grand or overwhelming. She said: “It is pleasant to know each one of your plants intimately because you have chosen and planted every one of them.”