Pat Holt visits the beautiful gardens at Sowley House near Lymington which are complemented by a stunning backdrop of the Solent

IF you like wild flowers,you 'll love Sowley House,near Lymington.This seaside garden has masses of rare orchids and wild flower meadows which extend right down to the seashore.

There are also reed beds,tidal mud flats and a shingle beach -all together,it has 19 acres at high tide and 52 acres at low tide!

The views are breathtaking,with yachts and dinghies on the Solent and,beyond the water,the western end of the Isle of Wight with the Needles.

It 's home to Otto and Catharina van der Vorm,from the Netherlands.

The garden is Catharina 's domain and she has been developing this superb site ever since they moved to Sowley House in 1985.

Catharina has a great enthusiasm for native British plants and trees,which can be seen particularly clearly in the extensive wild garden.She said:"There was a natural spring there,so two years ago,we decided to make a pond.

"A big digger came in and,in just one day,made the hollow for the pond.There is no pond liner or anything like that.It just fills naturally with water.

"I have planted some blue irises and primulas by the pond,but everything else is completely natural.

"We mow through the long grass and tall plants to make narrow,winding paths,so you can walk right round the pond and through this mass of wild flowers.I think that 's really special!"

The other main natural areas are the woodland garden and the stream walk, which leads down past the reed beds to the shore.

If you are interested in wild flowers,it is worth taking a camera and a reference book,for there are many orchids,marine plants and other rarities to be identified and enjoyed in these areas.

The cultivated parts of the garden are even more stunning at this time of year, with a swimming pool area,a walled herb garden and a wide herbaceous border, planted with pastel-coloured geraniums,aquilegias,lupins,roses and many other interesting and unusual plants.

Catharina spends a lot of time working in the garden,with a team of part-time helpers.She said:"My best ideas come to me when I am working outside.The garden is not something that I 've planned or created on paper.

"I 've never drawn a garden design or a planting plan for a flower bed.It just evolves.

"We work it out just by seeing,feeling and combining things while we are out in the garden. "I don 't have any special ideas about colour schemes,except that I am not very keen on hot colours like red,orange and really striking shades of yellow.They just don 't suit the English climate.Hot colours are better in a sub-tropical climate.

"Soft colours are far better in this coun-try and that 's why you 'll find lots of pinks, mauves,creams and whites in this garden.

"I 'm also very keen on foliage.There are so many contrasting shapes and colours of leaves,which always seem to go together.

In a way,they are more important than the flowers."