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...

















Such fun!
ReplyDeleteLooks like a lovely garden, with some beautiful stone mosaics.
ReplyDeleteWow. 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.
ReplyDeleteSo 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!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great garden! The rock mosaic path and steps are absolutely gorgeous - and the plants, SO large and luscious...
ReplyDeleteDragonfly Hollow? I love that name!
ReplyDeleteYet 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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