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....
Gorgeous! I guess I should hold onto 'Estella' to see if she comes through, although threatening to toss her into the green recycle bin hasn't worked so far.
ReplyDeleteIt was worth waiting for. I agree with you about the threats. They sometimes work. :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a beauty! Worth the wait?
ReplyDeleteMine will be late this year because of our cooler winter, but they seem to be starting to wake up with the increasing daylight.