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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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Spreading Mulch



First, before I get to the mulch, I wanted to share a photo of the transplanted loquat. I am thrilled with its progress and think it looks great for January! I felt really guilty after moving it but it was one of those situations where I wanted to make room for another plant. I do that a lot. I thought it was a goner after leaves and limbs continued to turn brown. But, new growth in popping out all over. 

My neighbor was over and I was sharing my mulch with him. I said "I can feel spring in the air". He laughed and said "Well, it is 45 degrees." And so it was. But the sun was shining, no wind or rain and the birds were singing. I can feel spring coming.

Today was a good workout and I made it much longer before my sciatica, lumbago or whatever it is called in lower back started acting up. The mulch mountain is dwindling...



This was a huge chip drop and one drop is going to be enough and then some. Because these chips come from arborists, they are not treated with dyes and therefore don't have the attractive color. That turns some people off but I can't over-emphasize the benefits this gives the soil. It breaks down fast and your garden will love you for it. What I usually do is cover high profile areas with a layer of the darker chips from the garden center.

This batch of chips also had a lot of fir needles in it but I really like that.




I noticed that the potted sumac looks interesting -



I don't focus well on one activity and when spreading chips along the fence in back, I noticed this -




This is the bamboo screening that the previous owner placed over the hurricane fence. I'm surprised it has held up this long. I've covered most of the screen and fence with the twig fencing but there is some areas left along the side garden. Every year, I find where it has blown down. This seems to happen despite my best efforts at tying it. So, once again, I stopped what I was doing to get it back in position.
 
This looks to be a nice, dry week with temperatures in the 40s so I hope to get more done.

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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Comments

  1. AnonymousJanuary 23, 2023 at 7:52 AM

    Nothing like a fresh dressing of mulch (of any shade) to make it feel like spring is around the corner.
    (Is there a purpose to the upturned terra-cotta pots next to the sumac?)
    chavli

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    Replies
    1. Phillip OliverJanuary 23, 2023 at 9:12 AM

      Chavli, they are just decorative. There were more to the stack but we occasionally will grab one if needed.

      Delete
  2. Kris PetersonJanuary 23, 2023 at 1:48 PM

    It's great that you were able to move the loquat without doing it harm. Kudos to you for getting as much mulch spread as you have. Rest your back and take your time with the rest.

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  3. AnonymousJanuary 23, 2023 at 6:00 PM

    Ah, the chip drop mountain! I’ve got one of those, too. There’s quite an online debate about the most efficient way to fill a wheelbarrow. Starting with the barrow on its side gets a lot of upvotes. What’s your technique? I’m mostly using a pitchfork; the snow shovel did not work for me since mine’s not on a paved surface.

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    Replies
    1. Phillip OliverJanuary 23, 2023 at 11:04 PM

      I just a shovel and sometimes a pitchfork. I do use the wheelbarrow but a lot of my spaces are tight so I tend to use buckets a lot. It takes longer to spread but good exercise.

      Delete
  4. Lisa at GreenbowJanuary 25, 2023 at 2:56 AM

    Your garden always looks interesting. It is nice that you have that mountain of mulch to spread. Your garden will be happier for it. I like the look of that bamboo fencing but it doesn't last long here. It must be all the freezes and thaws of winter that destroys it. Happy mulching...

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