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Coleton Fishacre - Inside the House

Coleton Fishacre has been described as "the perfect combination of the simple architecture and high standards of craftmanship of the nineteenth century Arts and Crafts movement with the modernity of the Jazz Age." I was told that there are not that many Art Deco style houses in the UK and this is one of the few private residences that are open to the public. Among the furnishings are Lalique wall lights, an eighteenth century Venetian chandelier and a carpet designed by Marion Dorn. Most of the furniture was designed by the architect of the house, Oswald Milne.   After Rowland and Freda Smith bought the house in 1949, they did not make many changes and the furnishings that they didn't use were stored. After the National Trust took over the property, they meticulously recreated the furnishings based on photographs that had appeared in Country Life magazine.   The library, pictured above and below, features a celebrated wind-dial map that was created by noted mapmaker Georg...

Camille and Dirk Paulsen's Garden in Puyallup


I've now been to Puyallup but I still don't think I can pronounce it. This was the last day of our trip and as we headed south, there were still gardens to see. This was the last private garden we visited. It is the  garden of Camille and Dirk Paulsen.

The description from our itinerary-

"When we moved here in 2011, we were thrilled to inherit numerous conifers, magnolias, Japanese maples and other beautiful trees that lent the garden a mature feel. It was hard to pick a favorite, but the giant weeping sequoia (aka the Dr. Seuss tree) captured our imagination with its whimsical nature. A true living sculpture! We kept the trees but redesigned most everything else. As Camille's passion for plants grew, the lawn kept shrinking. Our former front lawn is now a sunny plant-filled oasis with a welcoming pergola, pond and waterfall. Dirk's hand-built Torli gate graces an Asian-influenced shade garden, while a mossy fernery adds interest to the other side yard. Our back garden features vine-covered arbors, colorful containers, tropical beds and a peaceful pond and waterfall surrounded by woodland plants. The extensive use of stone is a unifying feature throughout." 




 


 






















Clematis 'Polish Spirit'













Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy


Comments

  1. Another gorgeous garden. Those views are magnificent. Love the big dead tree surrounded with ferns etc.

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  2. P.S. Love the picture of the child photo bombing. Or was that a garden fairy??

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  3. I'm so jealous that you've visited Camille's garden before I have! She's been inviting me up for awhile now but I haven't been able to make it. Soon.

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  4. Wow - just wow! Thanks for sharing this beautiful garden.

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  5. This garden looks amazing! I want to live there ;-) Thanks for sharing it with us.
    Steve B.

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  6. A whole higher level of gorgeousness. A paradise!

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  7. Thanks for sharing this visit! I've met Camille and her family as they toured my garden years ago when they were down this way but I've never seen her garden. Hopefully there'll be a chance of that during the Garden Bloggers' Fling in 2023. I love that very photogenic tree trunk and the pond but the whole garden, not to speak of the view, is magnificent.

    FYI, your latest blog post showed up as it should in my feed today. I don't know if that's related to something you did, my reloading of your blog's URL, or some switch flipped by Blogger but it was good to see.

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    1. Kris, apparently it happened because I had deleted my Feedburner since I've been told it was going away. I had to re-tweak some of my settings in Blogger and apparently that was the problem.

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  8. What a treat that you got to tour Camille's garden! Hers is one of my favorite gardens in this area, and she's one of my favorite people too. I hope you got to speak with her, she's the sweetest, most generous person.

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    1. Hello Alison, yes I did and she is wonderful. I didn't know you lived nearby!

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  9. How lucky you are to live near such incredible gardens! I’m convinced that the people of the Pacific NW are the best gardeners out there. I love how this one borrows views from Mt. Ranier.

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  10. Thanks so much for documenting your tour of some amazing gardens. I'll be returning to these photos many times!

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