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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...

September Favorites


This is the time of year when I  am so sick of watering, I could scream. Last week's shower helped but the ground is very dry. Rain is predicted for Monday. It is noticeably cooler and it even got down into the 40s last night. 

I've noticed trees changing color around town. Ours are just barely beginning to show some color. But change is definitely in the air.

Plants I'm enjoying right now -

A few weeks ago, I wrote about a gift of colchicum. I had not seen any trace of life until it rained. The following morning - magic!

Cochicum 'Water Lily'

Another gift from years ago is the autumn cyclamen. Always a nice surprise! Kinnikinnick is growing over it and I like the effect.

Autumn Cyclamen

I love asters and am constantly adding more to the garden. This is a recent purchase - 'Starshine'

Aster ageratoides 'Starshine'


This one is an unknown, given to me by a friend that I sometimes garden for. It is 6 feet tall! If anyone knows the name, I'd love to know it.


This flowering maple has to be thoroughly watered every day to keep it happy -

Abutilon megapotamicum 'Variegatum' (Flowering Maple) 

A new favorite this year is Firecracker Plant (Russelia equisetiformis). It has bloomed non-stop since planting.  I have it in a pot and I'm going to attempt to over-winter it.



Crape Myrtle 'Lunar Magic' - notice someone else likes it too

Lagerstroemia 'Lunar Magic' (Crape Myrtle)


A sure sign that seasons are changing - Goldenrod 'Fireworks'

Solidago 'Fireworks'


The hummingbirds love the Himalayan Honeysuckle -

Leycesteria formosa 'Jealousy' (Himalayan Honeysuckle)


Here is a plant that is showing autumn colors early - Aronia melonacarpa 'Low Scape Mound'. It was actually much more colorful a few days earlier but I failed to get a photo.

Aronia melonacarpa 'Low Scape Mound'

During the past weeks, our house has been perfumed by the intoxicating fragrance of the Angel's Trumpet. It is really strong on warm nights.

Brugmansia  'Charles Grimaldi' (Angel's Trumpet)


Grevillea rosemarinifolia - I love it but it is getting big!

Grevillea rosemarinifolia 

So many lovely fuchsias right now, I should do a post just on them. This one is a favorite of ours - Lady Boothby - right outside the living room window.

Fuchsia 'Lady Boothby' 

And finally, I leave you with this plant that is truly amazing at the moment. I call it "Pink Snowberry" - the full name is a mouthful - Symphoricarpos x doorenbosii  'Kolmcan Candy'. 


Symphoricarpos x doorenbosii '
Kolmcan' 'Candy' (Coralberry)



Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Comments

  1. Your "pink snowberry" is indeed luscious and I love the white crape myrtle too. My garden is as dry as dust, even with the irrigation system running 2x a week. We got 0.07/inch of precipitation over the past 2 days, which did little more than dampen the surface but then any rain at this time of year is a minor miracle for us.

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  2. Pan's head dressing is amazing! Love it.
    I remember when you wrote about the "gift of colchicum". I'm glad it bloom for you in its first season; such hardy bulbs.
    I love aster too and often leave the seed heads as winter interest. (I don't always appreciate the vigorous seed germination though...)
    Chavli

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  3. You wouldn't have a clue that your garden is dry, it looks magnificent! I've not seen that Grevillea before, I really like the structure of it. The colchicum must have been a nice surprise to see.

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