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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...
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My Favorite Plant This Week - Privet!

I suppose I am risking my gardening reputation by saying it but yes, I really like Wax-Leaf Privet (Ligustrum japonicum). It is the scourge of the Southeast and probably many other places as well. According to the Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board, it is not considered invasive here but has a status of "monitored". We do sell it at the nursery where I work.

I am not sure exactly which one we have as there are many varieties but I am guessing that it is 'Texanum' which is a more compact variety. In the five years we've lived here, our plant is only 5 feet tall.

The fragrant flowers  appear this time of year (early June here in Washington state) and last several weeks. The white flower clusters are followed by berries that birds like to eat. 

I probably would not have purchased one intentionally but there was one already on the property when we moved in. I transplanted it to a new spot right under the bedroom window. My favorite thing about privet is one of the chief complaints from those you don't like it - the fragrance (or I guess critics would say "odor".) I find it interesting that some people love the sweet fragrance and others hate it. The scent wafts along the breeze and it reminds me of warm, languid days when I was a child, playing and exploring the woods behind my family home. It gives me a warm and comforting feeling.

Aside from the smell of the blooms, the other chief complaint is the reseeding tendency. I haven't seen any seedlings yet in the garden but time will tell.


Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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  1. Lisa at GreenbowJune 23, 2020 at 2:53 PM

    Yes, that baby is invasive here. :( I had it in my garden for a good many years. I took it out when it was deemed invasive.

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  2. Hugh WalterJune 23, 2020 at 6:20 PM

    Over here (UK) 99.9% of it is kept closely clipped as hedge or perimeter, so never flowers, when it's allowed to 'do it's thing' (as illustrated above) it's very pretty, I leave some down the bottom of the garden until they've flowered, but as they have a couple of cuts a year; even the flowers aren't as full or fluffy as yours, but I find lots of less common flies and hover flies like them and the little pin-beetles of course!

    It's the same with Holly, when you see them as untrimmed 'standards' at Westernbirt Arboretum, Kew or even - occasionally - in the woods, they are stunning pyramids of dark green, rather than the lego-blocks you get in an "English country gar'har'den"!

    H

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  3. danger gardenJune 24, 2020 at 9:10 AM

    We inherited a huge border of this with the garden. It's gone now...but the fragrance! I am definitely in the do not like it category.

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  4. chavlinessJune 26, 2020 at 2:56 PM

    I love the unique scent of ligustrum. As well as that of candytuft and Lantana... definitely the fragrances of my childhood. Its known that memories often go hand in had with specific scent.

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  5. Barbara H.July 4, 2020 at 4:02 PM

    Oh Phillip, I would really be shocked at your gardening betrayal except that I have two variegated privets in two large concrete urns - one privet to an urn. They are kind of skimpy looking but for now they work well. But I'll think of you the next time I cut privet along the edge of my woods!

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