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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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Signs of Spring and Transplanting a Rhododendron


Things are warming up. The daffodils and hellebores are blooming. The days seem to alternate between sunny and mild and cloudy and colder.

I took advantage of a recent mild and sunny day and transplanted a rhododendron. This one ('Golden Gate') was previously located behind the pergola in the back garden and was pretty much being smothered by other plants -

Unlike some other plants, like the buddleia in the previous post, young rhododendrons are easy to move and the root ball is small -



I've moved it to the front border where it will hopefully be happier and bloom nicer than it did in the previous location. I don't know how many soaker hoses I have destroyed by digging into them. On this go-around, I managed to spot the hose before I plunged the shovel into the ground -



I always place rhododendrons slightly higher than ground level - actually I do this with most plants.


Mission accomplished!



I am still in the process of pruning roses. I got all of the clematis pruned and I hope to get them fertilized tomorrow.

Many perennials are beginning to emerge and need last year's dead growth removed. Case in point - this euphorbia -



I think I heard the plant cheering after I did that.

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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Comments

  1. Kris PetersonMarch 20, 2023 at 7:04 PM

    I'm sure you felt cheerful as well after completing those tasks, Phillip. That's a great way to celebrate the start of the spring season!

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  2. AnonymousMarch 21, 2023 at 8:36 AM

    Transferring your Rhodi encourages me to move mine, a compact PJM. The big question, as always, is where to...
    Which Euphorbia is featured in the photos above?
    Chavli

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