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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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Surprise bloom

This bromeliad always takes me by surprise when it blooms. It is like a surprise lily - it just magically appears one day. I caught a glimpse of pink this morning on the patio and there it was.

I've had this plant for years. I keep it in the house during the winter and put it outside in the spring. I always water it inside the leaves. That's all I do and I'm familiar with the rules of growing one. 

I'll post another photo when the flower opens. It is quite dramatic.

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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Comments

  1. Lisa at GreenbowSeptember 23, 2012 at 3:50 PM

    I just love surprises in the garden. This is a beauty. I have never had a bromeliad rebloom for me. Lucky you. Can't wait to see it in full flower.

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  2. Anne BoykinSeptember 24, 2012 at 2:16 AM

    Hi Phillip, That's exciting to see a surprise bloom, especially one so beautiful. I know you're enjoying the cooler temperatures.

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  3. Janet, The Queen of SeafordSeptember 24, 2012 at 7:49 AM

    Love it!! So fun when a plant blooms unexpectedly. I look forward to seeing it open.

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  4. Casa MariposaSeptember 24, 2012 at 5:57 PM

    I love surprise blooms. They are the sweetest. Happy Monday!

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  5. RandySeptember 25, 2012 at 8:31 AM

    How pretty, you know I should get some for winter color in the house. Do they tolerate the dry air inside during winter?

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  6. Phillip OliverSeptember 25, 2012 at 2:50 PM

    Randy, they do. I've not had any problems with them inside.

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