Skip to main content

Featured

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...
1 comment
Read more

The Angle of the Sun Says Spring Is On The Way


There comes a time every year when I glance out the front door and notice the early morning sun shining through the orange sedge. Since our house faces north, this area is shaded during most of the winter months. At this point, the sun has traveled far enough to the north to begin shining on the north side of the house. We can also tell a difference by the way it comes through our living room windows. 

This is Orange New Zealand Sedge (Carex testacea), boxwood and the rose 'Lady Emma Hamilton'.

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Email Post

Comments

  1. Kris PetersonMarch 24, 2021 at 1:11 PM

    I'm glad spring is on its way in your area, Phillip. I wish Carex testacea performed as well in my garden as it is has in yours. I can probably say the same thing about 'Lady Emma Hamilton', which may get an eviction notice here if she doesn't shape up this year.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Phillip OliverMarch 24, 2021 at 8:24 PM

      Kris, 'Lady Emma Hamilton' can be problematic. Blackspot was on it although I managed to get it under control. It isn't the most carefree Austin rose.

      Delete
  2. chavlinessMarch 25, 2021 at 7:52 AM

    As the garden (and I) mature, I look for hassle free plants that require less work to maintain. The orange sage became my go-to and most favorite ornamental grass: little clean-up is needed, very manageable reseeding, and unless we go through a particularly nasty winter it looks good and provide color all year. Your photo demonstrates my point perfectly!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hoover BooMarch 28, 2021 at 1:45 PM

    That is a nice combo, C. testacea and Lady Emma. I have the Carex with Abutilon 'Victor Reiter' and Cuphea 'Vermillionaire'--different oranges seem to play nicely together.

    I agree with chavliness--that carex gives a lot for very little effort.

    ReplyDelete
  4. RobinLApril 3, 2021 at 4:51 PM

    This photo is really eye catching, and of course we’re all glad to have spring arriving!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment