Skip to main content

Featured

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...
1 comment
Read more

Dog days of summer

What exactly are the dog days of summer? I've always heard that they are the hottest days of the year when the heat make dogs go mad. Dog days are actually associated with the Dog Star, Sirius, the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major (Large Dog). At certain times of the year, Sirius is in the sky at the same time as the sun and ancients believed that it caused hotter weather.  According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, this period lasts 40 days, beginning on July 3 and extending through August 11.

As much as I despise the summers in Alabama, this one has not been as bad as some. In fact, this week has been almost pleasant and today it was possible to stay outside for longer than 10 minutes without feeling that you'd stepped into your own personal sauna. We have also received adequate rainfall although people in some neighborhoods have not. It is very hit and miss and whatever forces are responsible, I thank them! Our ground is actually damp from rains a few days ago. And the weathman says cooler temperatures are on the way. I love it!

There is not much going on in the garden but lots of green. Weeds are abundant and the holly hedge from hell needs to be trimmed. If this nice weather continues, I'll get out and tackle it before I have to head back to work in a few weeks.




















Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
Email Post

Comments

  1. LKTAugust 10, 2011 at 8:54 PM

    Those tomatoes look spectacular!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lisa at GreenbowAugust 11, 2011 at 3:49 AM

    Your garden looks quite happy with the way summer has gone so far too. The weeds here are what have thrived best. The dogs have been turned loose here it seems as the weather has cooled. It feels wonderful. I will begin the attack on the weedy areas this weekend. Cheers. Enjoy the rest of your vacation.

    ReplyDelete
  3. CommonweederAugust 11, 2011 at 5:19 AM

    Oh - for shade at this time of the year. What a beautiful tour of your garden.

    ReplyDelete
  4. DarlaAugust 11, 2011 at 6:10 AM

    It's been hot here! I love your yard and the pops of red are perfect!

    ReplyDelete
  5. ProfessorRoushAugust 11, 2011 at 11:01 AM

    The rustic arbor looking down the path looks inviting and cool.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Rosedale GardenAugust 11, 2011 at 3:03 PM

    I got off work late yesterday just as the sun was going down trying to do some weeding and was almost carried off by mosquitoes. Insect repellent, fabric softener sheets, aren't working on what I have. Vicks vapor rub works on the little tiger skeeters out during the day, Reminds me I need to check on my tomatoes in the lower 40. I took over the veggie garden in daylilies & iris. The hummers have found the new feeder hanging from the pergola, so I'm going to sit comfortably in a chair and see if I can get some more pictures. Mary

    ReplyDelete
  7. JenAugust 11, 2011 at 6:07 PM

    how on earth do you have such gorgeous tomatoes? Mine get eaten on the vine while they are still GREEN!

    ReplyDelete
  8. AnonymousAugust 11, 2011 at 8:15 PM

    Lovely! The garden looks wonderful in spite of all the heat.
    LOVE that wall you painted as a background.

    ReplyDelete
  9. MashaAugust 11, 2011 at 8:42 PM

    Your garden looks so lush, unlike mine which is beginning to go brown in our dry heat... Love your begonias (are they begonias?).

    ReplyDelete
  10. Pam/DiggingAugust 11, 2011 at 10:16 PM

    From one hot-summer-hater to another, I have to say your garden is looking splendid. I envy you your recent rains but am glad you guys are not in a drought this year.

    I've been wondering whether you decided to move or stay put? I remember reading about it a while back, but maybe I missed a post about it since then.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Peggy HillAugust 12, 2011 at 8:50 AM

    Impressive tomatoes and everything else looks great too!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. F CameronAugust 13, 2011 at 6:57 AM

    Your garden looks great and lush green to me!

    We finally got a bit more rain this morning and cooler temps. No 100+ in the next week and our meteorologist thinks those are gone now. Rain has been hit or miss here, too. We were in the "miss" category for July.

    ReplyDelete
  13. CarolAugust 13, 2011 at 8:51 AM

    Utter charm is what is abundant and overflowing in your beautiful garden Phillip . . . so glad you are having enjoyable temps. We are having cooler days and nights here too. Lovely.

    ReplyDelete
  14. AnonymousAugust 14, 2011 at 6:04 AM

    Very lovely, impressive yard you have. I know how hot & humid Alabama can be, many times could have melted on the spot visiting our relatives residing in Gadsden.
    I am NOT a summer lover either.


    Lexy

    ReplyDelete
  15. EveAugust 14, 2011 at 7:04 PM

    Your dog days look a lot better than mine Phillip! We are the spot where there has been no rain. Well, every now and then we get just a dribble to keep the weeds happy! One realy good thing...we had figs from our fig tree today! They were perfect!!
    Love the photos, looks SO inviting!

    ReplyDelete
  16. LesAugust 15, 2011 at 4:11 AM

    I love the lushness that your rains have brought, but I imagine your gardening skills have just as much to do with that as the rains. We have been fortunate here as well with regular moisture and seeing what has been happening in Texas, Oklahoma and in other places, makes me grateful.

    ReplyDelete
  17. C. C.August 15, 2011 at 8:06 AM

    Your garden is still very beautiful! Leaves are falling already in mine, and it's looking bedraggled and weedy. It has been unbearably hot and humid here for the past 3 weeks or so. I couldn't bear to be out in it. The humidity finally broke this morning, and there was almost a nip in the air. I'm sad that the season is ending - can't wait until next spring.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Annie in AustinAugust 19, 2011 at 1:14 PM

    It's so good to see your garden refreshed and thriving, Phillip. I hope you have some cooler nights to go along with the cooler days, too!

    Annie at the Transplantable Rose

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment