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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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Show me the Money Plant


An old-fashioned biennial, Money Plant (Lunaria annua) is also known as Honesty and Silver Dollar Plant. Native to central and southern Europe, it was brought to the United States by the Pilgrims. The attractive purple (or white) flowers appear in early spring, from 1 - 3' feet tall. After flowering, the seedpods develop. They start out green and turn to silvery white or translucent orbs that resemble coins. The seeds inside can be dried or simply removed and scattered (nature will also do this for you as it is a notorious re-seeder.) They also are popular in dried flower arrangements. A member of the Mustard family, it is said that the white tapered roots can be eaten raw or boiled.

Easy to grow, just sprinkle seeds in the fall or early spring. It flowers the second year from seed and will probably re-seed for you. You can always scatter more seeds to assure successive flowers.

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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  1. sweetbayApril 10, 2012 at 11:03 AM

    I got a start of money plant from db's grandmother but it's never taken off. Too dry. I need to try it in another spot because it is lovely, especially in dappled shade.

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  2. Lisa at GreenbowApril 10, 2012 at 1:49 PM

    I am not too good with seeds. I always have good intentions to sow some seeds but rarely do so. I love this plant. It is so pretty and I have some of those coins in a vase right now. Hard telling how old they are though.

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  3. NicApril 10, 2012 at 5:49 PM

    These are one of the mainstays of the late spring garden at my family's place. I usually cut most of of the dried seed pods when they stop looking nice or start getting in the way and put them on the compost pile. Then when I spread the compost I get lots of seedlings wherever it goes, thus ensuring lots more money plants.

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  4. Rosedale GardenApril 10, 2012 at 9:03 PM

    I pulled most of mine up last year trying to keep the re-seeding down. They seem to multiply even without the seed pods. They are everywhere this year but a pretty sight.

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  5. Becca's DirtApril 11, 2012 at 1:41 PM

    Pretty.

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  6. GailApril 11, 2012 at 5:34 PM

    One of my favorite annuals. Love how they take care of themselves....

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  7. Pam's English GardenApril 12, 2012 at 4:24 AM

    Dear Philip, I am familiar with this plant in its silver-pod form. I didn't realize it has such pretty flowers! P. x

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  8. UnknownApril 12, 2012 at 3:02 PM

    It is a favorite of mine, as well, though I have it now coming up (along with Cleome and Verbena bonariensis)in the cracks in the pavement in the street.....don't know why the neighbors talk!

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  9. serial tillerApril 13, 2012 at 8:26 AM

    Ha ha..you make me want to watch Jerry McGuire again! This is one plant I have never grown but I need to. Thanks for sharing details about yours...sounds easy.

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  10. commonweederApril 13, 2012 at 5:58 PM

    This is one of the plants I never recognize in bloom. It is so pretty.

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