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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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The Cecil & Molly Smith Garden

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The Hardy Plant Society of Oregon's Open Gardens is now in full swing and is a wonderful opportunity to see some great gardens in the area. Every weekend through mid-October, private gardens and some nursery gardens are open. I saw a lot of the gardens two years ago after moving here but did not go to many last year. This year, I hope to catch up on some of those that I have missed as well as new ones on the list for the first time.

 A garden that I have really wanted to see is the Cecil & Molly Smith Garden in St. Paul, Oregon. The Smiths are no longer with us and the garden is owned and maintained by the Portland chapter of the American Rhododendron Society. 
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Cecil Smith had a passion for rhododendrons and he was fortunate to live in an area where they flourish. The Smiths built their house in 1951 on a north-facing hillside. Their windows overlooked the slope which were developed into a spectacular woodland garden filled with rhododendrons.


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Today, many of the rhododendrons are massive specimens. Winding pathways meander through a lush valley of rhododendrons, wildflowers and ferns.

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Some of the rhododendrons were labeled but many were not. The white one above was particularly stunning.
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One of my favorites was this pink beauty. I could not find a name on it. 

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'Eddie's White Wonder' dogwood with Rhododendron augustinii in the background. I purchased one of these rhododendrons while I was there!

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Rhododendron 'Ken Janeck'



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'Seaview Sunset'

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A neighbor was burning brush which was a bit unpleasant but it did provide some dramatic lighting for photos.

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The Cecil & Molly Smith Garden is open to the general public on weekends in April and May. The admission price is $3. It is well worth the drive to St. Paul. There are also a great number of fantastic nurseries in the area. Plan a day for it!

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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  1. Lisa at GreenbowMay 2, 2018 at 3:34 AM

    You certainly saw this garden at the perfect time. So lush and colorful. I can see why you would want many of these Rhodies.

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  2. outlawgardenerMay 2, 2018 at 6:21 AM

    Such a beautiful and natural-looking garden. What a pleasure to wander among these gorgeous specimens, a special legacy the Smiths have left.

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  3. chavlinessMay 2, 2018 at 8:04 AM

    It looks like a wonderful place to visit and it's definitely the right time of year for it, although it's quite wonderful at any season. That last photo was very appealing: I like the contrast of the delicate pink bloom with the dark, coarse-looking leaf.

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  4. Barbara H.May 2, 2018 at 9:10 AM

    Beautiful! Thanks for the tour.

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