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Agatha Christie's Greenway (Devon, England) - The House

I can think of two places that we visited where I enjoyed the house more than the gardens. The first was Greenway, not for the house itself, which was surprisingly small and cramped, but for the history behind it and the fascinating mementos on display. Agatha Christie and her husband Max Mallowan were enthusiastic collectors. You can see their collections on display throughout the house - European and Oriental ceramics, pottery, African tribal masks, Egyptian artifacts, Tunbridge ware, china, trinkets, and books. The Morning Room has a portrait of Agatha Christie as a child and her doll Rosie, sitting in a chair - The Drawing Room was where the family would gather in the evenings. Christie would entertain guests by reading chapters from manuscripts of her latest books.  Agatha Christie's bedroom. Max always slept on a smaller portable traveling cot (you can see part of it in the foreground). It was his favorite bed and he carried it with him on all of his archaeological travels. N...
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Late summer roses



Roses are one of the most drought resistant plants available but when the summer temps get really hot, the flowers are minimal. In late summer and early fall, however, they usually bounce back with blooms that hang on until the first frost. This is especially true for the older roses. The above is "Weeping China Doll", a polyantha rose that is very easy to grow. I grow it as a stand-alone shrub but I've seen it grown as a climber.

To get more fall blooms, trim back roses in mid-summer and continue fertilizing through August. As fall approaches, stop giving roses fertilizer because this will prompt them to put out growth that will be nipped by frost.

"Weeping China Doll" is a very dense, twiggy rose. For a rose like this, I cut it back with hedge shears or the electric trimmer. It sounds brutal but it won't hurt the rose.

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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  1. Tallulah's Antique ClosetSeptember 11, 2010 at 9:58 PM

    That is a pretty rose indeed! I luv growing roses they can take a lot and always come back looking their best. Thank's for sharing...."J"

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  2. LesSeptember 12, 2010 at 3:58 AM

    I like your blog's new format. I hope you have not had it long, otherwise I didn't notice until this morning.

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  3. Phillip OliverSeptember 12, 2010 at 6:05 AM

    Les, I just changed the background and format - Blogger now has a template that makes it really easy.

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  4. CarolSeptember 12, 2010 at 6:57 AM

    Great tips about the roses Phillip! Looks like you are having a lovely day there! Here my fingers are freezing. ;>)

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  5. AnnelieSeptember 12, 2010 at 10:13 AM

    I've just noticed exactly what you are saying. After the hottest summer since 1855 here in MA, an old rose shrub + 2 new ones are about the only flowers still going strong (after a midsummer pause).
    Was just yesterday contemplating a purchase of some knock out roses, but didn't get them.

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  6. Rob (ourfrenchgarden)September 12, 2010 at 11:00 AM

    Phillip, Dirt Therapy and roses are synonymous as far as I'm concerned.

    You're garden continues to shine.

    I know there was a pruning experiment done a while back where identical roses were pruned both conventionally and with hedge trimmers, the result being no difference, both performed equally well.

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  7. The Redneck RosarianSeptember 12, 2010 at 6:19 PM

    Phillip,
    Great post. A very pretty rose! I like the new blog format.

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  8. MissySeptember 13, 2010 at 6:37 AM

    Roses are awesome. I need to post pictures of mine on my blog.

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  9. Mr. McGregor's DaughterSeptember 13, 2010 at 7:55 AM

    Roses really do seem to do their best in fall, and yours is a beauty. I was thrilled at how my rose blooms rebounded after the departure of the Japanese beetles, but then the stupid spotted potato beetles started attacking them. It seems like everybody likes to eat roses.

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