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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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Night Garden



It has taken me a long time to get into night lighting for the house and garden. It is something I've always wanted to do but the mere suggestion of electrical wiring sent me running. These days there is solar lighting and even electrical lighting kits that plug right in. I've slowly been adding more and more lights. Now, only a stretch along the front fence is the only dim area. That project will be next, but it is going to require some digging to hide the cords.

The photo at the top shows the entrance to the front garden from the driveway that runs along the east side of our house. The light on top of the gate is a solar light and the ones on the ground at the right are electrical landscape lights. They work with a timer that comes on automatically at night.

The same area from a different angle is the view looking down the driveway. The tree is Ceanothus 'Black Diamond' which Michael has masterfully pruned into tree form. The entrance to the back garden is at the bottom of the driveway. 


Stepping up the short steps and through the gate to the right brings you to the pathway that runs along the front of the house. A border on the left is where my beloved Strawberry Tree (Arbutus) resides. It is lighted with a landscape light. It was damaged badly during the last snowfall and has a large hole in the middle of the it that is not too noticeable from this angle. There was a perfect full moon the night I photographed this. The long exposure stretches it out of proportion. 



Walking up the pathway and turning around -


All the way over to the opposite side of the house and the front garden -




The following photos were taken in the back garden. Looking UP the steps of the middle terrace -



The pergola in the central area of the back garden. We've only had meals here twice and the last time was this past weekend with some friends. It was a very cool evening and we had soup.


Finally, the Pan garden which is right off the deck out the back door of the house. It is nowhere near this bright. Apparently, the camera was overcompensating for the low light.


Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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Comments

  1. ksSeptember 6, 2022 at 5:58 PM

    Lights can add so much to a garden if done right-you've nailed it ! I have 2 sets of LED solar string lights -one is installed and will set up the second after the current heat wave goes away. They are pretty discreet but I get a lot of pleasure out of them. It's hard to find solars that don't look like bright white parking lot lights !

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  2. Barbara H.September 7, 2022 at 1:33 AM

    Once again you have created a magical place.

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  3. Kris PetersonSeptember 7, 2022 at 11:59 AM

    Placing lights in a garden is an art and you're excelling there. My husband and I were lucky to inherit a pretty good outdoor lighting setup, although the lights themselves are something of a pain to keep in working order and not something we'd have purchased if we'd installed them. Someday, we'll get around to updating the set-up...

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  4. Hoover BooSeptember 8, 2022 at 4:49 PM

    Yes, magic. Michael did a wonderful job on that Ceanothus, and the lighting effects are excellent.

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