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The Garden House (Devon, England)

The destinations are beginning to blur but looking at the tour guide booklet, I see that we are now in Plymouth. Today, we visited two gardens designed by Keith Wiley.  The first is The Garden House , where Wiley worked as Head Gardener for 25 years (from 1978-2003). The 10-acre estate was purchased in the 1940s by former Eton schoolmaster Lionel Fortescue and his wife Katherine. It was formerly home to the  vicars of Buckland Monachronum. The Fortescue's renovated the gardens and ran a market garden business and raised cattle.  The remains of some of the original buildings in the vicarage still stand in the garden and serve as a romantic backdrop in the Walled Garden - I loved the way they had massed ferns together. Just stunning! Surrounding the walled garden and venturing out away from the house are more naturalistic plantings  - Today, the head gardener is Nick Haworth, who was previously head gardener at Greenway , which we visited earlier.  Keith Wiley lef...
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Camellia "Snow Flurry"




I can usually find something exciting in every gardening season. As winter approaches, the anticipation for camellias builds. Sasanqua camellias bloom in the fall and the showier japonica types will begin blooming in January and continue through early spring.


One of the earliest to bloom is the hybrid "Snow Flurry". It has been blooming now for weeks in our garden. The exquisite camellia is often regarded as a deep south plant but hybridizers continue to work on pushing the envelope. As a result, more cold hardier varieties have been introduced so gardeners farther north can enjoy these beauties as well. "Snow Flurry" is hardy to zone 6.


"Snow Flurry" was released in 1986 by the National Arboretum and it is advertised as one of the most cold hardy camellias available. This is one of the few camellias that I planted on the north side of the house and knock wood, it is thriving nicely.


The pure white anenome type blossoms are rather delicate and shatter easily. This makes them tricky to work with for flower arrangements. It gets an A+ in the landscape, however, and the beautiful flowers are a most welcome treat this time of year.




Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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  1. UnknownNovember 22, 2010 at 1:42 PM

    I've tried and failed with this one three times! Adding insult to injury is the fact that one of my gardening friends has one that's at least 12 feet tall!

    I'm happy to enjoy it vicariously in your garden!

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  2. EveNovember 22, 2010 at 1:51 PM

    Hi Phillip, I just found you through a search for Alabama gardens on botanical.com. Boy do I need to keep up with your blog! I moved to Alabama from northern NY in April of 09 and have a LOT to learn! And this looks like the place for me to get an education! What a great spot and I look forward to going back in time. Thanks!

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  3. Lisa at GreenbowNovember 22, 2010 at 4:56 PM

    I will never forget the first time I saw some camellias. It was winter and I had gone south for some reason. We stopped at a rest area and there were camillias blooming. I wondered what kind of roses they were. Ha... Love seeing yours.

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  4. compost in my shoeNovember 23, 2010 at 5:01 AM

    They certainly fill a gap in the garden this time of year. I love the way they just up and surprise you one day when walking through the garden. I kind of forget they are there. But not now!!

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  5. DaveNovember 23, 2010 at 6:49 AM

    Nice! I just added two 'Winter Snowman' camellias this year. I can't wait to see the blooms!

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  6. sweetbayNovember 23, 2010 at 10:33 AM

    That is a beautiful camellia, and perfectly named!

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  7. Jean CampbellNovember 23, 2010 at 1:49 PM

    Your photos are delightful.
    C. sasanqua marks the beginning of the winter garden. I have the older white, here for 50 years and now a tree form. It has a delightful tea fragrance as well as that daily carpet of petals underneath.

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  8. SkeeterNovember 23, 2010 at 3:49 PM

    I trimmed our Camelia bushes way back late in the summer and was not expecting many blooms. Whoa, I am surprised to have plenty white blooms! And so far no cold to turn them brown! So beautiful...

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  9. AnonymousNovember 23, 2010 at 8:19 PM

    I think these sasanqua camellias are as beautiful as shrub roses yet more precious because of the time of year they bloom. Nothing lifts my spirits more in these days of limited light.

    Is this an Ackerman Hybrid?

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  10. JanNovember 25, 2010 at 9:49 AM

    Lovely. I have a special affinity for white flowers, and this one is great for the late fall.

    Jan
    Always Growing

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  11. LesNovember 26, 2010 at 7:03 AM

    I could not imagine a garden without a sasanqua or two.

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  12. VictorDecember 1, 2010 at 5:52 AM

    It is always so hard to choose from all the great camellias out there but this type of bloom (not to mention the timing) adds it to the near-top of my list. thanks so much for the rec!

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