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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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First Day of Summer

 

Today is the first day of summer and it certainly feels like it. We are under a heat advisory with temperatures predicted to be in the 90s. Tomorrow will be even warmer when we will be near the 100 mark.

I hate it and much prefer the weather yesterday when the high was 80. We also had the marine layer of clouds in the morning (that is when the above photo of the front border was taken).

I hope the heat doesn't ruin the flowers. The front gate is smothered in clematis and roses at the moment. I've never seen so many blooms.

Clematis 'Jackmanii Superba' on the left and 'Madame Julia Correvon' on the right. The roses are 'Dublin Bay' and 'Veilchenblau'. Salvia 'Caradonna' is right outside the gate on both sides.

 

This is the front pathway closer to the house (there are two pathways in front, one gravel, one grass). 



Snapdragons and Evening Primrose blooming in the front border outside the living room living.

 


Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

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  1. Kris PetersonJune 20, 2021 at 9:14 PM

    Your garden looks spectacular, Phillip, and I share your hope that the heat doesn't spoil it. We were lucky this week. Our top temperature hit 93F but the subsequent days were in the low-mid 80s. Our morning marine layer held and kept the temperatures from soaring higher here. The inland areas didn't fare as well.

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  2. Lisa at GreenbowJune 21, 2021 at 8:55 AM

    I would be stopped in my tracks when approaching that floriferous gateway. My! That is one for the books. Your garden is such a treasure. I bet your neighbors are envious. I bet they stare and drool over the fence.
    I hope your blooms survive the heat. I bet they will with all your tlc.

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  3. danger gardenJune 21, 2021 at 9:33 AM

    Beautiful Phillip! Have you seen the extended forecast? Even more heat next weekend...

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  4. Barbara H.June 21, 2021 at 9:38 AM

    You have outdone yourself with your new garden. The Alabama garden was wonderful and I was so glad I got to see it but oh my, this one is stupendous. Congratulations, Phillip.

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  5. chavlinessJune 22, 2021 at 10:10 AM

    Stunning garden photos. It seems that my garden too has been more robust than usual. I'll take it! Hopefully the plants in our gardens are happier with heat than I am.

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