Skip to main content

Featured

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...
2 comments
Read more

The life

 




Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
Email Post

Comments

  1. meemsnycJanuary 30, 2011 at 3:23 PM

    I wonder if any birds are brave enough to go into the birdhouse with kitty so near!

    ReplyDelete
  2. KellyJanuary 30, 2011 at 4:27 PM

    My old yellow tom packed his bags and left home. His mama the "kitten machine" is still here. I miss old tom. I like your pics.

    ReplyDelete
  3. DarlaJanuary 30, 2011 at 4:43 PM

    What animal abuse! How dare you make life so hard on the kitty!!...

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownJanuary 30, 2011 at 6:24 PM

    Looks like what each of us wishes he had spent this weekend doing!

    ReplyDelete
  5. sweetbayJanuary 30, 2011 at 6:47 PM

    Yeah, that's the life. :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. EveJanuary 31, 2011 at 3:17 AM

    I bet that fella really enjoyed this warm spring weather this weekend! Love the photo!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Jill of All TradesJanuary 31, 2011 at 5:47 AM

    Oh that makes me miss my sweet Mackie.

    ReplyDelete
  8. GailJanuary 31, 2011 at 6:10 AM

    Every garden needs a cat! He's a beauty. gail

    ReplyDelete
  9. compost in my shoeJanuary 31, 2011 at 10:47 AM

    We all need a spot just like it. Lay down and relax!!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Lisa at GreenbowJanuary 31, 2011 at 4:50 PM

    What a handsome kitty. He knows just where to relax and let the birds come to him.

    ReplyDelete
  11. scottweberpdxFebruary 1, 2011 at 10:13 AM

    awww...so cute...to be a cat!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Tallulah's Antique ClosetFebruary 1, 2011 at 10:14 AM

    What a relaxed and pretty kitty! Just enjoying the day in the garden. Thank You for the Birthday greeting. Have a great week....Ray

    ReplyDelete
  13. debsgardenFebruary 1, 2011 at 6:23 PM

    Are you sure you didn't pose that kitty? Maybe bribe him with some catnip? His color matches so perfectly with the wall ornament above.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment