The fish pond made by David at Kentlands - Credit: Catherine Courtenay

Horticulture has been a lifetime's passion for David Oakey, and this month he and his wife Gill are opening their Devon garden for charity.

‘Plants have been our life,’ says David Oakey and, sitting outside looking down over the garden he shares with wife Gill, I’d say that was probably true. For starters, there are pots everywhere, even on the table, there is a bonsai, a succulent and a few tiny pots of parsley. 

I suspect there are a few more pots than normal though. The day before my visit David and Gill had opened their garden, Kentlands, to the public for the National Garden Scheme. The visitors may have gone, but the plant arrangements are still in evidence, clustered around doorways, by the walls of the house and filled with all manner of plants - hostas agapanthus, citrus, geraniums, alpines... 

Masses of pots, beautifully arranged by Gill, are everywhere in the garden - Credit: Catherine Courtenay

The house is off a quiet lane in the village of Whitestone. It’s just a few miles from Exeter but enjoys peaceful surroundings – and a superb view, across the valley and the city towards the coast. 

The south-facing garden wraps around the house, it lies on a fairly steep slope, but careful landscaping by David means this isn’t very apparent at first. Tempered by terraces and layers, and vertical planting, areas are revealed as you begin to explore.  

The couple have been in Devon since 1993, initially living at Moretonhampstead before coming to Kentlands. Gill’s background is in floristry, that’s how she met David. Having trained at the Constance Spry Flower School, she went on to work for him when he had five flower shops in London. 

Nurseries, open gardens, helping out with church flowers, orchid shows... the couple have shared a love of plants throughout their married life, and it’s a passion that is now shared with daughter Nicola who is an award-winning garden designer and writer. 

An aptitude for gardening ‘may be in your genes,’ admits David, adding that it was only after several years that he discovered his great grandfather had been a market gardener. 

Another climber at Kentlands is Cobaea Scandens, the cup and saucer plant - Credit: David Oakey

Although he worked in a nursery when he was young, it’s quite a surprise to learn that David’s career was in the police. After leaving the force he started a business doing window boxes around London, including ones for Aquascutum in Regents Street (‘We did that one overnight’) and Nestle headquarters in Croydon, before moving on to the flower shops. 

Salvia confertiflora is a tall salvia and wonderful for pollinators - Credit: Catherine Courtenay

David cultivated an interest in orchids early on. A member of the Orchid Society of Great Britain he set up Gold award-winning stands at RHS Chelsea Flower show. He still keeps orchids, in his greenhouse at Kentlands, but his interests are wide-ranging. When visitors turn up for the September NGS date they will be rewarded with a glorious display of salvias – David has around 60 to 70 varieties. 

The Kentlands garden has evolved gradually, and at a pace set by the couple.  

Blue flower spikes of pickerel weed and water soldiers add a sculptural element to the pond - Credit: Catherine Courtenay

One of David’s first construction projects was to make a raised pond with fish and water features. It has sculptural pond plants like pickerel weed and the extraordinary spears of water soldiers, which float on the surface. Alongside is a tucked away patio area surrounded by climbers, which include evergreen Holboellia, roses and wisteria. The wisteria is trained up a vertical stake, pruned to keep it upright, it’s a clever way to showcase the plant in a smaller space and is a technique that crops up elsewhere in the garden. 

The arbour alongside the pond - Credit: Catherine Courtenay

The garden has it all, beds, lawns, fruit trees, a vegetable garden and polytunnel, and the greenhouse. Planting is thought out with care and attention but it appears relaxed too, with self-seeders popping up everywhere, controlled but allowed to infiltrate. Verbena bonariensis and fennel provide an airy, lace-like effect, a contrast to the Echiums, some towering examples, dotted throughout the garden. A constant buzzing shows how the pollinators love this garden. 

In September the Spanish flag, (Ipomoea Lobata), looks stunning growing up the summerhouse - Credit: David Oakey

The garden’s spacious feeling is helped by the fields that surround the property, which are also owned by the Oakeys. One at the top end is home to David’s potting shed and large workroom barn. The potting shed is surrounded by baby plants - more succulents, and cyclamen in little pots. David can’t resist growing things. As we walk around the late summer garden he will stop to take a close look at a seed pod, gently pulling it apart. He is constantly fascinated by the seeds inside, however many times he’s examined them. 

He also like to air layer plants, even a crab apple which he then made into a bonsai, and take cuttings. Most of his plants have come from cuttings, he’ll be on the lookout wherever he goes. ‘I take a lot of cuttings and I collect an awful lot of seeds.’ 

The elephant's nest geranium, named after a Devon pub - Credit: Catherine Courtenay

A fabulous bright red geranium fills one of the baskets. It’s an ‘elephant’s nest geranium’ he says. You won’t find it in a book, it’s named after the Peter Tavey pub where he spotted it and asked for a cutting. 

He clearly has a sense of fun, and utilises his practical skills to recycle both natural materials found on site and anything else he comes across – including old towels. Many of the ornate pots in the garden have been made by David using bath towels and a concrete mix.   

‘I get little ideas,’ he says. Another was to incorporate old stained glass windows into an arbour. ‘They were being thrown out’. Look out for the toadstools and the ‘Bee-spoke Sundial’ if you visit. ‘I think gardens should be fun,’ he says. 

Symphyotrichum Lateriflorum 'Lady in Black' is a lovely aster for colour in September - Credit: David Oakey

Just before I leave, we take a peek in David’s orchid greenhouse. In one corner Is a little plastic bag, tied to a pole. David carefully unwraps it to reveal two tiny seeds lying on a bed of sphagnum moss. These are the seeds of Pleione Rakata, a miniature orchid. He gently pulls the moss aside to reveal a tiny bud and he is absolutely delighted. ‘I know I’m a nerd, but how exciting is that!’ 

As David knows, perseverance and patience lead to great rewards in the garden. ‘I have a particular orchid that I bought in the 1980s and last year it flowered for the first time.’ 

Kentlands is open for the NGS on Sunday, 11 September from 10.30am to 4pm. Tickets £5 adult, children free. Home-made teas and light lunches available