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...
It's nice that the things you planted on your mother's property are doing well. Supposedly there is poison ivy in the pacific northwest but I've never seen any myself, no do we have snakes other than tiny garter snakes and those don't hang out much in town. You'll love it here!
ReplyDeleteNot only does that snake eat insects it will eat small rodents. You should respect him for that. It is a little creepy coming upon them unannounced though. Love seeing how you are incorporating new things into your Mom's property. One of these days you willl be glad you did. I think Bald Cypress is such an elegant tree. It has so much going for it. Lovely foliage, wonderful bark for winter, knees when they get older and the little balls on them in fall. Wonderful.
ReplyDeleteLisa, do you know what kind of snake it is?
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure that is a black rat snake, definitely a beneficial. That one is beautiful! I'm a big fan of snakes.
ReplyDeleteWe have great respect and love for any black snake Phillip. There are those that will hunt down and eat Rattlesnakes. In my book, he's worth keeping close by!
ReplyDeleteCould your mystery plant be a bottlebrush buckeye? I planted one last year and it produced a seed pod very similar to this.
ReplyDeleteIt looks suspiciously like the cousin of the PEAR. Here in India it's a popular fruit commonly known as "Naashpati "or in other parts of the country ,"Sabarjal".
ReplyDeleteI am not sure though as there are no leaves on your plant.
A Bald Cypress...that's so cool...they are such distinctive trees! I have a few Vernonia...one very tall one that flops horribly...and a newer, shorter one that looks practically like an Amsonia until it blooms...love them :-)
ReplyDeletePhillip,
ReplyDeleteSorry about the poison ivy - it can be devilish! I love veronica - but hate the name "ironweed". How big are the pear-like fruit? And even in a less than spectacular autumn color year, the sourwood appears to be performing beautifully! I wonder if bald cypress would develop knees if it got less water (we are on high ground)? It sure is pretty! Anyway, thanks for the great photos!
Not sure about bottlebrush buckeye but I will investigate.
ReplyDeleteThe fruit is the size of a small pear.