Skip to main content

Featured

Agatha Christie's Greenway (Devon, England) - The House

I can think of two places that we visited where I enjoyed the house more than the gardens. The first was Greenway, not for the house itself, which was surprisingly small and cramped, but for the history behind it and the fascinating mementos on display. Agatha Christie and her husband Max Mallowan were enthusiastic collectors. You can see their collections on display throughout the house - European and Oriental ceramics, pottery, African tribal masks, Egyptian artifacts, Tunbridge ware, china, trinkets, and books. The Morning Room has a portrait of Agatha Christie as a child and her doll Rosie, sitting in a chair - The Drawing Room was where the family would gather in the evenings. Christie would entertain guests by reading chapters from manuscripts of her latest books.  Agatha Christie's bedroom. Max always slept on a smaller portable traveling cot (you can see part of it in the foreground). It was his favorite bed and he carried it with him on all of his archaeological travels. N...
1 comment
Read more

Happy Plants & A Tiny Hortlandia Haul


Wet, wet, wet. This week another "atmospheric river" invaded us and it has been raining pretty much non-stop since Saturday. Today brought us a break but I think more rain is on the way. The good news is that the plants are happy.

Camellia 'Nuccio's Bella Rossa'

Camellia 'Magnoliaflora'

Euonymous albomarginatus


Fatsia 'Spider's Web'


Arctostaphylos 'Sunset' (Manzanita)


Pieris 'Little Heath'

Pieris 'Passion Frost'

Rhododendron 'PJM'

Rhododendron 'Taurus'

Saxifrage 'Touran White'

I only purchased 2 plants at Hortlandia and this was intentional. Knowing that my space is limited, I didn't want to be tempted. That, and the fact that I was mainly working the book sale, kept me in one spot. I did buy two plants -


The fern is a Japanese Painted Fern called 'Regal Red' (Athyrium niponicum). I got it for Michael, who has become rather fond of ferns.

And, lo and behold, there sat Hydrangea 'Fairytrail Bride'. I've been wanting this since seeing the photo (below) about two years ago. This is the first cascading hydrangea! Word is that we will be getting it at Yard n' Garden Land and I almost passed on it but thought I'd better grab it because if I didn't, we would wind up not receiving it at the nursery. Better safe than sorry!

Hydrangea 'Fairytrail Bride'



Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
Email Post

Comments

  1. Kris PetersonApril 11, 2023 at 8:35 PM

    Your garden is looking very colorful and springy, Phillip. The Hydrangea looks interesting (not that that's a good choice for my climate unfortunately).

    ReplyDelete
  2. tz_gardenApril 12, 2023 at 8:05 AM

    The Hydrangea Fairytrail Bride is beautiful! I love how it cascades. Your garden is so lush, hopefully you get another nice break from the rain.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousApril 12, 2023 at 8:47 AM

    I also grow a small patch of the sweet anemone blanda. I was surprised when I saw a white bloom in a sea of blue, but now I see you got one of those curiosities too.
    Love that Hydrangea 'Fairytrail Bride'... I'll look for it in local nurseries (and worry about where to plant it later;).
    Your Camellia blooms are gorgeous, especially 'Magnoliaflora'. The rain usually turn them ugly quickly, so let's hope for a reprieve in the rain.
    Chavli

    ReplyDelete
  4. Lisa at GreenbowApril 17, 2023 at 2:58 AM

    I hadn't heard about a cascading hydrangea. It is a beauty. You have lots of color in your garden now. I love those little windflowers.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment