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Coleton Fishacre (Devon, England)

Coleton Fishacre was in my top 5 gardens on the tour. This Arts & Crafts style house and garden was the country home of  Rupert D'Oyly Carte and his wife Lady Dorothy Carte.   He was the well-known theater owner (The Savoy) and producer (Gilbert & Sullivan).  They spotted the property from their yacht and thought it would be a great spot for a country home and garden. Ah, to have that much money... They commissioned Oswald Milne, a former student of Edward Lutyens to design the house. Both Rupert and Lady Dorothy were interested in gardening but it was Lady Dorothy who mainly planted the garden, filling it with exotic and tender plants that survived with the influence of the Gulf stream. They employed six full-time gardeners! I often wonder if people who have that much money are really able to enjoy a property like this and actually live in it?  Their tenure here wasn't that long (a dozen years or so), although Dorothy lived here full-time in the late 19...
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HPSO Garden Tour: Dragonfly Hollow


Fun day today. Michael, Rebecca, McKenzie and I visited two beautiful gardens on the HPSO (Hardy Plant Society Oregon) Garden Tour. There were five gardens altogether, all located in Vancouver. It was nice and cool, with temperatures in the 60s. It did come a brief shower when we got to the second garden but not enough to deter us.

First up was Dragonfly Hollow, not too far from where we live. This lovely garden was located in a heavily wooded area and chock full of interesting plants, spectacular plant combinations and artwork. It is the garden of designer Vanessa Nagel. Lots of inspiration and great ideas!

I will share photos of the second garden, Matsu Kaze (Wind in the Pines), in my next post. If you like conifers and Japanese maples, you are in for a treat!




























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Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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Comments

  1. rebeccaJune 11, 2016 at 9:01 PM

    Such fun!

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  2. AlisonJune 11, 2016 at 10:16 PM

    Looks like a lovely garden, with some beautiful stone mosaics.

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  3. Lisa at GreenbowJune 12, 2016 at 2:55 AM

    Wow. This is inspirational. I love all of those yellow-green grasses. I can't seem to get them to grow here. It must be our dry hot weather. I love the stone circle too. Lovely.

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  4. MulchMaidJune 12, 2016 at 6:09 AM

    So glad you got to see Vanessa's lovely garden. She has such a good eye for plant combinations, and the whole garden is beautifully designed. And practically in your backyard!

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  5. RebeccaJune 12, 2016 at 3:35 PM

    What a great garden! The rock mosaic path and steps are absolutely gorgeous - and the plants, SO large and luscious...

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  6. ShoalandaJune 15, 2016 at 12:15 AM

    Dragonfly Hollow? I love that name!

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  7. Hoover BooJune 19, 2016 at 3:12 PM

    Yet another fabulous garden? Must have been a great day. Your photo of the Hakone grass, hostas, and...the other plant--just perfect.

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