Skip to main content

Featured

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...
2 comments
Read more

In the Yard n' Garden Land Greenhouse


My season at Yard n' Garden Land has not started yet but I did work yesterday to help out in anticipation of a busy day. Nice weather was predicted and there were a lot of customers who were attending a rose seminar. 

The greenhouse was beautiful (Kellie does such a great job with displays) and seeing all the colors and blooms gives a great energy boost this time of year.





One entire side of the greenhouse is roses although they will be moved outside in a few weeks. This photo was taken before the rose seminar was over and lots were sold following that -


There are many new pots and I'm told that more are on the way. Hopefully, more bird baths and water features too -








So many camellias! This is 'Yume' and I wish I had a spot for this one. It is gorgeous! -



And many hellebores as well -



And, if there was room, I would plant a paperbush (Edgeworthia) - 


And stepping outside to the trees and shrubs, the area where I work -





Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
Email Post

Comments

  1. Hoover BooFebruary 26, 2024 at 12:55 PM

    Beautiful nursery. I'd have trouble working there--I'd be one of their best customers!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousFebruary 26, 2024 at 6:09 PM

    You are so fortunate to work a nursery, especially one as nice as this. Had this been my career I'd have a hard time retiring.
    Maybe now that your garden is 'full', you'd get to keep some of your paycheck :-D
    Chavli

    ReplyDelete
  3. Kris PetersonFebruary 27, 2024 at 10:41 AM

    That nursery has more jewels waiting for new homes than my local SoCal garden center but then the latter doesn't have a greenhouse (and the cold temperatures are back).

    ReplyDelete
  4. tz_gardenFebruary 27, 2024 at 4:04 PM

    What a beautiful nursery, everything looks wonderful! I can only imagine the daily temptation to bring plants home.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousFebruary 27, 2024 at 4:17 PM

    Beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Lisa at GreenbowMarch 1, 2024 at 3:08 AM

    It is so exciting to see all of the color! It appears that they will have a successful season.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment