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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....
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Bloom Day

 
This is a half-hearted attempt as a bloom day post. Today is a blustery, wet and stormy day as we await the approach of a major storm approaching the Pacific NW. There was a tornado on the coast of Oregon yesterday. We have just had lots of wind and rain. It is a good day to stay inside and put on a pot of soup which I plan to do!

As soon as the weather clears up, I plan to clean out the vegetable garden, finish trimming the laurel hedge and continue planting new plants in the garden. All of the blooming flowers still look great. I was surprised and excited to see the delphinium bloom again.

Sumac 'Tiger Eyes', Salvia chiapensis and delphinium.

 It took a long time for the marigolds to take off but once they did, they have showed no signs of stopping.
 
Marigolds and nasturtium

 
Sedum 'Autumn Glory'

Check out May Dreams Garden blog for more gardener's bloom day posts!

Now, on to the soup!



 Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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Comments

  1. Lisa at GreenbowOctober 16, 2016 at 5:26 AM

    Good to see your garden... MMmmmmmm soup looks yummy. Now you have made me hungry. Happy GBBD.

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  2. Lee@A Guide to Northeastern GardeningOctober 16, 2016 at 8:12 AM

    Your garden photos show the changes of the season beautifully. Hope you weather the storm OK.

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  3. AlisonOctober 16, 2016 at 8:37 AM

    Yes, we're soup-eating fiends here in this house, it's one of the best things about our fall and winter weather. That second storm totally fizzled out here, hope you made it through ok.

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  4. chavlinessOctober 16, 2016 at 9:29 AM

    The Marigolds and nasturtium picture is inspirational. I love orange in the garden. Your success with the Delphinium makes me a little jealous: I can never get them past the slugs :-)

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  5. debsgardenOctober 16, 2016 at 7:20 PM

    A stormy day is perfect for soup, and yours looks yummy! Your garden is lovely. I am looking forward to seeing your Pacific NW spring!

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  6. Endah MurniyatiOctober 17, 2016 at 12:19 AM

    Love to see the marigolds!

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  7. EveOctober 17, 2016 at 11:44 PM


    😊

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  8. RoseOctober 18, 2016 at 5:43 AM

    Lovely fall colors in your garden! I've read about the storms in Oregon; hope you're staying safe and dry. A pot of soup on a stormy day sounds perfect.

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  9. NicOctober 19, 2016 at 1:42 PM

    That is a lovely salvia!

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  10. Jean CampbellOctober 23, 2016 at 11:55 AM

    Love the delphinium and the marigolds. The soup has things in it that I would choose. It is unusual for the PNW to have tornados, isn't it?

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    Replies
    1. Phillip OliverOctober 23, 2016 at 12:25 PM

      Jean, yes it is. There was one last year - maybe this is a new trend? I hope not. I had my fair share of them in Alabama.

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  11. RobinLOctober 23, 2016 at 6:36 PM

    Well, the plantings look great, but that soup looks DELISH!

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  12. AaronOctober 29, 2016 at 4:03 AM

    Your soup looks awesome. Recipe please? :)

    As for the garden, it's nice to see such lush photos. It's been a very hot, dry late autumn in Tennessee...

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