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
Labels

Rose 'Swany'



'Swany' is a rose that you don't hear much about. It was introduced by Meilland in 1977 and advertised as a groundcover rose. When I purchased it from Joy Creek Nursery in 2018, I envisioned it as a good choice to go in a concrete trough that borders the driveway. It has succeeded for that purpose although it now wants to climb the fence behind it and continues to reach skyward.


The small double blooms appear in heavy clusters and are snow-white, turning to pink as they age. In the past, this pink shift has been slight but this year, much more dramatic. Cooler weather? Probably. 

Disease resistance is quite good. I don't spray harsh chemicals on my roses. I have used Neem oil for powdery mildew and aphids. Safer Garden Fungicide is also a good product and has worked against blackspot when it rears its ugly head. That said, I've not seen any mildew or blackspot on 'Swany'.

This rose has a long bloom period, almost non-stop. It is very thorny.


Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
Email Post
Labels:

Comments

  1. tz_gardenAugust 2, 2023 at 9:23 AM

    Such a beauty, and so dependable with blooms. I'm tempted to replace one of my fussier David Austin roses with a more reliable gal like yours.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kris PetersonAugust 2, 2023 at 9:53 AM

    I don't think I'd mind the ample thorns if I could get a robust display like that!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hoover BooAugust 3, 2023 at 11:26 AM

    Very nice--looks like a great bloomer. 'Groundcover' roses can make good small climbers; I've got one grown on a short trellis that functions quite well. Not as good as yours, though!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment