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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...
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A Change in the Air

'Dragonwing' begonia in a pot with
Persicaria 'Golden Arrow' in the foreground


Fall is in the air and I already notice how the light is beginning to change and the shadows are growing longer. I love this time of year although I do often experience a tinge of melancholy and an increased need for sleep.

We've had some wonderful cool days in the 70s and an occasional warm day here and there. Tomorrow will be a warm one, getting close to 90, but overall those days have been outnumbered.

The rain situation or lack thereof is dire and with the exception of a few sprinkles in the forecast, we remain dry. At this point, a rainy day is only a distant memory.

I try not to think about the water bill. Michael spends about two hours every morning watering pots and the plants that look like they need it. Once a week sprinklers are turned on and the entire garden is watered. That takes all day. So we use a lot of water here.

We also spend a lot of money on birdseed. We have a ton of goldfinches and you can hear them in the following short video I made. This is looking off the back deck. The chickens you hear belong to the neighbor.

 



Osmanthus (False Holly) 'Goshiki', Fuchsia 'Cardinal' and
faded fronds of an astilbe in a shady bed under the dogwood tree only requires a weekly watering.

 

                      This bed gets by with only a weekly watering -
             Salvia 'Hot Lips', Heliotrope and Sedum 'Cherry Truffle'

 

Pomegranate 'Crimson Queen' in a pot


Roses are also quite drought tolerant although they perform
best with regular watering - 'Buff Beauty'

'Tranquility'


 

Rudbeckia 'Goldsturm'


Clerodendrum (Harlequin Glorybower)

Fuchsia 'Little Giant'
 

 

Ligularia 'Desdemona'

 

Coralberry (Symphoricarpos orbiculatus)

 

Feather Reed Grass (Calamagrostis 'Karl Foerster')

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy


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  1. Kris PetersonSeptember 6, 2021 at 8:34 PM

    Your September garden is glorious, Phillip. Your plant combinations, like to one at the top of your post, never cease to impress me. It's horribly dry here and, as we've been asked to reduce our water consumption by 15%, I feel guilty every time I water anything. Only my cutting garden is well watered now and even then it's getting less water than I formerly provide it in mid-late summer.

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    Replies
    1. Phillip OliverSeptember 6, 2021 at 9:36 PM

      I hear you! I feel guilty too. Although we are not rationed, it seems like we are using too much. I know that we overwater and some of our plants would probably be fine with less.

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  2. chavlinessSeptember 7, 2021 at 7:43 AM

    Pomegranate! And in a pot no less! Perfectly timed (for the Jewish new year...), a symbol of abundance among other things.
    I must get Rudbeckia 'Goldsturm'. It looks so good late in the season.

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  3. Hoover BooSeptember 12, 2021 at 10:19 AM

    Your garden looks fabulous, just as good as in Springtime. Sort of good it's too hot to go outside here today--that way I don't have to look at the summer-weary plants.

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