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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...
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Special Plants Nursery (Chippenham, England)



Our third day was a busy one as we left our first hotel in Bath and traveled to Wells. There were several stops along the way, the first being Special Plants Nursery in Chippenham, England. It was a warm day.

The nursery is owned by former Oregonian Derry Watkins, who moved to England decades ago when she married an Englishman. She is a plant collector and has traveled all over the world, her favorite place being South Africa. 




That is Derry in the above photos talking to our group. The house and garden are located on a steep hill with idyllic countryside surrounding it. She says the garden was designed by her architect husband and she has filled it with her favorite plants, mostly tender perennials that she has collected from her plant-hunting expeditions.

Most of the beds are terraced and many plants are grown in gravel.



The garden is also enhanced with some striking ornaments -


Lower island beds proceed downhill -





A bog garden -



At the bottom of the property is a woodland walk.


The tranquil surrounding countryside -


I was impressed by her system of labeling plants for visitors. Each island bed was adorned with a small metal sculpture of a dancing lady holding a number. A hand-out detailed the numbered sections and listed plants that were blooming in that particular section. It was very effective.


Derry Watkins was a charming host and answered all our questions and let us shop her seeds. I am terribly inept with seeds but I ended up purchasing lunaria 'Corfu Blue' seeds (it was blooming throughout the garden and so spectacular). I also got some cleome and verbena seeds. 

(Visited May 9, 2025)

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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  1. Kris PetersonAugust 11, 2025 at 12:53 PM

    That's another charming garden! I hope the seeds come through for you, Phillip.

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  2. hbAugust 11, 2025 at 3:43 PM

    A plant lover's dream vacation! Seeds--a little practice and they aren't so bad. It's sort of magical when a little dried bit of something becomes a plant.

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  3. Ardith FergusonAugust 11, 2025 at 5:25 PM

    What a beautiful house and garden!

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  4. DeniseAugust 12, 2025 at 9:55 AM

    I remember a very long track, similar to getting to Dancing Oaks, when we visited in fall. We saw only the nursery, though -- I'm surprised at how large the garden is, and that she's a former Oregonian!

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  5. tz_gardenAugust 13, 2025 at 8:13 AM

    Gorgeous property, she's made the most of the different elevations.

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