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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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Annuals

Begonia 'Canary Wings' at the top left, surrounded by various fuchsias.

A few annuals scattered throughout the garden and in pots on the deck. They are well-watered and fertilized weekly or sometimes bi-weekly. Most do well with the exception of the annual Vinca which has failed me every time I've planted it. It was a staple in the old garden but doesn't want to grow in the new one. 

Here are some of the ones that look good at the moment -

Cleome 'Senorita Rosalita' - I remember growing cleome, or "spider flowers" we called them, in Alabama and they would get huge, towering to 6 feet or more in late summer. I really love this dwarf variety and I liked it so much last year that I planted it again this year. 


Wishbone Flower (Torenia) - another favorite for shadier areas. Not a lot of blooms on this one right now. I have it in a pot on the deck.


Dichondra is another favorite. It is a very versatile plant and grows fine in full sun or even full shade. 


I've become a big fan of snapdragons since moving to the Pacific Northwest. In the South, they were treated like pansies and only did well during the cooler periods. It grows all season here and the colors are amazing, especially the salmon/orange combination. In the foreground is a dwarf lavender and heather.


Outside the front window, Allium 'Millenium', heathers ('Multicolor' and 'Firefly'), buddleia, snapdragon, echinacea, hebe and Viburnum 'Davidii'.



Coleus 'Electric Slide' has overshadowed the hosta and grass. 


Coleus 'Hottie'

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Cape Primrose (Streptocarpus) overwintered in our kitchen window. This has become another favorite because it seems to bloom constantly in full shade on the deck. 

Begonia 'Dragonwing' doesn't seem to be as floriferous as it normally is, not only in this pot but elsewhere as well. It is a mystery.

Another shot of the snapdragon with a new echinacea that I forget the name of.

Lantana out by the street ('Rozann' geranium in back). 

Petunia

Plectranthus 'Guacamole' has been amazing! This is the first time I've grown this one.

Painted Tongue (Salpiglossis sinuata)



Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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  1. Kris PetersonAugust 29, 2022 at 7:13 PM

    Lovely, one and all, Phillip. I keep planning to plant Cleome from seed or plugs but somehow always fail to do do when that window is open. I can't imagine snapdragons blooming during the summer - like your Alabama garden, they're a spring flower here.

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