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Coleton Fishacre (Devon, England)

Coleton Fishacre was in my top 5 gardens on the tour. This Arts & Crafts style house and garden was the country home of  Rupert D'Oyly Carte and his wife Lady Dorothy Carte.   He was the well-known theater owner (The Savoy) and producer (Gilbert & Sullivan).  They spotted the property from their yacht and thought it would be a great spot for a country home and garden. Ah, to have that much money... They commissioned Oswald Milne, a former student of Edward Lutyens to design the house. Both Rupert and Lady Dorothy were interested in gardening but it was Lady Dorothy who mainly planted the garden, filling it with exotic and tender plants that survived with the influence of the Gulf stream. They employed six full-time gardeners! I often wonder if people who have that much money are really able to enjoy a property like this and actually live in it?  Their tenure here wasn't that long (a dozen years or so), although Dorothy lived here full-time in the late 19...
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Garden Blogger's Bloom Day - August 2022

Chaste Tree (Vitex agnus-castus)

Is it the 15th already? Yes it is. Time for Garden Blogger's Bloom Day. I haven't had a chance to photograph everything in the garden so I just have a few this month. For more gardens and bloom, check out May Dreams Gardens.

My favorite plant at the moment is the amazing Chaste Tree (Vitex agnus-castus), pictured above and below. I absolutely love this plant and so do the bees. I hate that I don't have the variety name. Another view -


Allium 'Milennium'

'Casa Blanca' Lily

Canna 'Panache'

Four O'Clocks (Mirabilia jalapa)

Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium purpureum)


Rugosa Rose 'Purple Pavement'

Rose 'Marie Pavie'

Zooming in, you can see flowers forming on  Clerodendrum trichotomum 
(Harlequin Glorybower) (Peanut Butter Tree)


Rose 'Ballerina'

Rose 'Lady Emma Hamilton'

Rose 'Lady of Shalott'

Fuchsia 'Lady Boothby'

A very unusual fuchsia, Creeping Fuchsia (Fuchsia procumbens)



Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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Comments

  1. Kris PetersonAugust 15, 2022 at 8:28 PM

    All your Bloom Day selections are fabulous, Phillip. I've begun to despair that my Chaste Tree will ever grow up to look anything like yours. After nearly 5 years in the ground I don't think mine is over a foot tall - it's not dead but I don't think it likes SoCal at all. Ditto with respect to my 'Lady Emma Hamilton' rose but then I'm coming close to giving up all my roses...

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  2. AnonymousAugust 16, 2022 at 10:58 AM

    The best fragrance comes from the Rugosa Rose 'Purple Pavement', but it's 'Lady Emma Hamilton' that wins by a (color) knock-out! And as impressive as Joe-Pye is, it's Pan's tradescantia pallida throne that totally stole the show for me.
    chavli

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  3. Hoover BooAugust 16, 2022 at 6:40 PM

    Your Vitex looks great. 'Lady Emma' another highlight. Looks like your garden is standing up to summer, no problem. Hope you have a beautiful rest of summer, and then the colors of autumn to anticipate!

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  4. YvonneAugust 19, 2022 at 8:50 PM

    The beautiful mixture of blooming plants makes your garden look so inviting. The Chaste Tree is an amazing accent.

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