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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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Little Baja


We rarely go to Portland anymore because the traffic and parking is so horrendous but we did drive over to visit Little Baja earlier this week. I had been a few times in the past but Michael had never been and he expressed interest after seeing it advertised on Garden Time every week.

 If you are looking for pots (terracotta or concrete), statuary, fountains, etc., they have it!




We didn't expect to buy anything but of course we did. I am getting ready to take out the vegetable garden and replace it with a patio and courtyard area. I wanted to add a water feature in that area and we came across a large bowl (the man at the store called it a "bonsai bowl") and it was close to what I was envisioning. We did not buy the fish, which we separate, but Michael liked them. Me, not so much.



 I saw lots of other great items as well, like these outdoor fireplaces and grills  -



I am a sucker for statuary but have so far controlled myself in the new garden.



 And lots of terracotta!









Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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  1. Hoover BooOctober 6, 2018 at 7:06 PM

    Nice water feature basin you got there--will be interested to see how you place it in your garden.

    The row of pig-pots with their ears all doing something different, cute!

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  2. Jane StrongOctober 6, 2018 at 8:09 PM

    Darn, so far away from me. The real Baja is closer, but doesn't have a collection like this! Besides, speaking of traffic, there is the border crossing. I can always find a place for more Talavera.

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  3. danger gardenOctober 6, 2018 at 9:40 PM

    I haven’t been there for years, in fact I don’t think they had concrete planters the last time I visited. I love the bowl you bought!

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  4. AnonymousOctober 7, 2018 at 11:05 AM

    What a quirky and cool place. I'm glad you found your fountain bowl. I remember when I found mine. It was just what I wanted.

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  5. Lisa at GreenbowOctober 7, 2018 at 11:44 AM

    That bowl is inspirational. I can't wait to see your new area evolve. Those fish that Michael appreciated is a thing I have seen a lot of lately only they are usually ceramic. It is fun seeing them 'swim' through ground cover. I am proud of you for being able to resist the statues. I really like the god/goddess sitting with the knee up. I think they always look so elegant. Maybe in your new area you will find a spot for a statue. I like those terra cotta wall pockets. You wouldn't even have to plant them. Lots of fun stuff there.

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