Skip to main content

Featured

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....

Hope from the Garden


After the horrendous heat wave that hit the Pacific Northwest a few weeks ago, it is not just our gardens and plants that are in shock - gardeners are too. I hear it on a daily basis at the nursery. Shock, dismay, and disbelief. Gardeners are concerned and rightly so.

Despite the ever-changing climate and worries of the world, the garden remains a peaceful escape and a reprieve from ongoing challenges. 

And with all this comes the visual evidence that mother nature has the remarkable ability to heal.

One of the most damaged plants in the garden was the Wheel Tree (Trochodendron araliodes). Though situated in a position where it gets only morning sun, even that was too much for the poor thing. 


 

However, just a few days later, I noticed new leaves beginning to form... 


 

Nearby, a camellia was also burned -


 

But later when I looked at it again, new leaves had emerged and the whole plant looked much better -

 

 

Now on to plants that do look remarkably well at the moment. Fuchsias in the pots got the most damage. Most of the fuchsias in the ground look fine -

 

Pineapple Guava (Feijoa sellowianais) blooming. I still only get a handful of blooms. I wonder if this plants needs to achieve more maturity to be covered?


I love the Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa 'Gay Butterflies') and so do the bees -

 

Ornamental Oregano (Origanum 'Kent Beauty') and Lavender 'Phenomenal'


 

Peruvian Daffodil (Hymenocallis)

 

My favorite Hosta 'Rainforest Sunrise' -


Hebe 'Sunset Boulevard' and Rose 'Essex' -


Another Hebe that I forget the name of and Cistus 'Mickie' -


I hope your gardens are faring well with the world's nature extremes!


Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Comments

  1. Isn't it amazing how quickly plants recover (assuming they didn't fully fry)? I think that if they get enough water it can make the difference between making it and giving up the ghost.
    Ornamental Oregano and Lavender make such a soft, nostalgic photo... I love it, well done! I also admire the bird bath in the last photo. Who's the artist?

    ReplyDelete
  2. I an so happy for you that your garden is recovering. Your photography is beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I’m so glad your plants are recovering from the heat wave. May it ease up for you soon.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment