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....
Wow a 7' celosia. Not only is it pretty it is dramatic with that height. I will have to remember this one for next summer. That Fleece flower shrub is an invasive plant here. It will grow anyplace under any conditions and go wild. Love that last shrub. It is good looking.
ReplyDeleteWOW, and just when I thought I didn't need any more plants! Well I guess "want" would be a better choice of words. That celosia is fabulous!
ReplyDeleteVery nice gardens. I have tall celosia too started from a pack of seeds from the dollar store some years ago. It pops up everwhere, I'll share seeds if you like.
ReplyDeleteNever seen such a dramatic celosia. You must be doing something great. I also love the dragon's wings begonia. Your garden looks so lush. Nice work.
ReplyDeleteHow Exquisite!!!
ReplyDeletegerri XXX
The celosia reminds me of a variety called 'Flamingo Feathers', except for the 7' tall part. Do you know if 'Carter's Amazon' seeds around the garden prolifically?
ReplyDeleteI’m looking forward to reading more about that celosia in the magazine. Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThese are all so beautiful. That Hyacinth Bean is stunning! I need to make a list of those good end of summer plants to try to look out for Phillip. My yard is suffering from lack of rain and color!
ReplyDeleteThe tall Celosia looks like the perfect solution for a long back fence I have. I tried to google Carter's Amazon for information and seed but no luck. I wonder if you meant Cramer's Amazon which looks to be the same? Can you tell me over what period they will bloom? They are obviously still spectacular in late summer and early fall but I wonder when they begin to bloom. If these are colorful over a long season they would be a great solution for my back fence.
ReplyDeleteThanks Bill, I goofed. It IS "Cramer's Amazon" not Carter.
ReplyDeleteI've never had the pleasure of visiting Margie's garden. Hope to at some point. I have 3 angel trumpets that haven't bloomed yet. Do they need to be a certain age? All were small when I planted them and keep growing taller each year, but no blooms yet. Mary
ReplyDeleteHi Phillip! You showed me several plants that are unknown to me. What beauties!
ReplyDelete