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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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A visit to Chickadee Gardens


I was excited to finally get to see Chickadee Gardens last week. I have followed Tamara's blog for years. She and her husband garden on 2 acres in Saint Helens, Oregon. 

When you look at the map, it appears that St. Helens is directly across the Columbia River and slightly to the north of us. However, there is no convenient bridge to get over to the Oregon side. You must go north to Ridgefield, Washington (about 30 minutes north of our house) and go across there or travel through Portland and then go north through Scappoose. Either way, it is about a 45 minute drive. I decided to try the Ridgefield route and I was glad I did. Not only did I not have to contend with Portland traffic (it was Rose Parade weekend), I got to see country on the Oregon side that was new to me. 

Tamara used to work at the beautiful Joy Creek Nursery (my favorite, but alas they are now closed) and she now works part-time at Cistus Nursery.  She focuses on native plants and sustainability in their garden and shares her experiences on her blog, which is a goldmine of information. I have discovered many plants through her blog that I've never heard of and I love it when she profiles plants for specific situations.

I entered the garden on a semi-sunny slope that was covered with colorful perennials and annuals -










I believe it was through Tamara's blog that I first heard about Oregon Sunshine (Eriophyllum lanatum). It was in its glory the day I visited -



I loved this tree - Salix elaeagnos ssp. angustifolia - 



This view looks out over the meadow area and towards the vegetable garden - 



Around to the other side of the house is the berm garden. The orange flower is Mimulus - Diplacus aurantiacus 'Jeff's Tangerine' - one to add to the list for sure! 





Along the back fence line is a lovely shade garden -








I walked through the garden several times and found something new every time. In addition to the plants, there are chickens, a greenhouse, a potting shed, a cistern, a deck with potted succulents and I'm sure I'm leaving things out. After I left, I realized that I didn't even walk through a natural garden area next to the driveway. I did see some of the plantings along the way back to the car -




A haven and a pollinator paradise, this is a wonderful garden! 


Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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  1. Kris PetersonJune 18, 2025 at 7:33 AM

    It's always fun to see gardens II think I know from a different perspective. Thanks for sharing your visit, Phillip!

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  2. Ardith FergusonJune 18, 2025 at 6:36 PM

    Thank you for taking us on your visit. The garden is so beautiful and varied!

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  3. AnonymousJune 20, 2025 at 8:16 AM

    Lucky you, only having a 45 minute drive to see this gorgeous garden!
    (Could the orange flower belong to Diplacus aurantiacus 'Jeff's Tangerine'? Tamara featured it on her blog in the past).
    Chavli

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    Replies
    1. Phillip OliverJune 20, 2025 at 2:37 PM

      I just found it on her blog (thanks for the tip) and it looks like you are correct.

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