Skip to main content

Featured

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...
2 comments
Read more
Labels

Complete Container Herb Gardening - a book review


Complete Container Herb Gardening: Design and Grow Beautiful, Bountiful Herb-Filled Pots by Sue Goetz. Cool Springs Press (December 22, 2020)

I find it pretty amazing that an entire book could be written on the topic of container herb gardening. I would struggle to come up with two pages but author Sue Goetz has produced a 192 page book that covers every aspect on the topic. Beginning gardeners will find everything they need to know here and even experienced ones will surely pick up some new pointers in the process. I know I did.


Each chapter covers individual aspects and include:

  • Choosing the right kind of pots - there are terra cotta, concrete, metal, plastic, wood, vintage and repurposed. The various pros and cons of each are covered.
  • Location - Light needs and microclimates are essential factors to consider and then there are topics on placement (balcony, rooftops, entries, patios, decks, living walls, and growing herbs indoors.
  • Container garden design might be not a topic of consideration by the author opens your eyes to the possibilities of choosing containers for color and style, composing pots for pleasing arrangements and grouping plants for color, form and texture. 
  • Descriptions of the major herbs as well as varieties used for exotic flavorings.
  • An entire chapter on herbal beverages that covers herbs for garnishes, simple syrups, and teas.
  • Herbs used for healing properties and aromatherapy. Lemony herbs are profiled individually.
  • Herbs for household uses and beauty treatments like foot soaks and cleansers.
  • Pollinators (plants to attract bees, hummingbirds and butterflies).
  • Cultivation (choosing plants, soil types, watering, maintenance, harvesting).
  • Propagation techniques.

The book is nicely illustrated with hundreds of photos.


 

 

I was provided with a review copy from the publisher.

 As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

 

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy


Email Post
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment