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....
I love that tidy little Clerodendrum but I expect it needs more water than I can provide. August is my least favorite month too but your garden looks better than mine, Phillip. With our current water restrictions I've let a lot of things go and just try to shift my eyes in another direction to the degree possible. We're expecting the worst heatwave of the summer thus far this week, with it shifting into high gear tomorrow and hitting its worst on Sunday.
ReplyDeleteKris, I keep hoping California will get more rain.
DeleteSlightly different vantage points than usual, those long shots are beautiful! I wouldn't think its August: everything is so lush and green. Redbud should be able to take full sun... I hope it tolerates the heat better once it matures.
ReplyDeleteThere's a 'ghostly' bare tree in the background of photo (one before last). Is it painted?
chavli
Chavli, those are limbs that Michael painted white and put in a large pot. I always wanted some type of glass sculptures to fill that hole and he came up with that idea which was faster and cheaper!
DeleteWow! Looking great there. I like the too-big Perovskia--perhaps just a bit of a cut back of the more brazen stems? It's fun when a plant says, "Hey, look at me!"
ReplyDelete70 days without rain--that makes someone in Southern California giggle. 7 months is normal for here.
Hoover, I don't know how you do it - yikes!
DeleteYou’d never guess from these gorgeous photos that you’ve had a hot, dry summer. It looks very green and lush.
ReplyDelete