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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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Happy Plants & A Tiny Hortlandia Haul


Wet, wet, wet. This week another "atmospheric river" invaded us and it has been raining pretty much non-stop since Saturday. Today brought us a break but I think more rain is on the way. The good news is that the plants are happy.

Camellia 'Nuccio's Bella Rossa'

Camellia 'Magnoliaflora'

Euonymous albomarginatus


Fatsia 'Spider's Web'


Arctostaphylos 'Sunset' (Manzanita)


Pieris 'Little Heath'

Pieris 'Passion Frost'

Rhododendron 'PJM'

Rhododendron 'Taurus'

Saxifrage 'Touran White'

I only purchased 2 plants at Hortlandia and this was intentional. Knowing that my space is limited, I didn't want to be tempted. That, and the fact that I was mainly working the book sale, kept me in one spot. I did buy two plants -


The fern is a Japanese Painted Fern called 'Regal Red' (Athyrium niponicum). I got it for Michael, who has become rather fond of ferns.

And, lo and behold, there sat Hydrangea 'Fairytrail Bride'. I've been wanting this since seeing the photo (below) about two years ago. This is the first cascading hydrangea! Word is that we will be getting it at Yard n' Garden Land and I almost passed on it but thought I'd better grab it because if I didn't, we would wind up not receiving it at the nursery. Better safe than sorry!

Hydrangea 'Fairytrail Bride'



Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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Comments

  1. Kris PetersonApril 11, 2023 at 8:35 PM

    Your garden is looking very colorful and springy, Phillip. The Hydrangea looks interesting (not that that's a good choice for my climate unfortunately).

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  2. tz_gardenApril 12, 2023 at 8:05 AM

    The Hydrangea Fairytrail Bride is beautiful! I love how it cascades. Your garden is so lush, hopefully you get another nice break from the rain.

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  3. AnonymousApril 12, 2023 at 8:47 AM

    I also grow a small patch of the sweet anemone blanda. I was surprised when I saw a white bloom in a sea of blue, but now I see you got one of those curiosities too.
    Love that Hydrangea 'Fairytrail Bride'... I'll look for it in local nurseries (and worry about where to plant it later;).
    Your Camellia blooms are gorgeous, especially 'Magnoliaflora'. The rain usually turn them ugly quickly, so let's hope for a reprieve in the rain.
    Chavli

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  4. Lisa at GreenbowApril 17, 2023 at 2:58 AM

    I hadn't heard about a cascading hydrangea. It is a beauty. You have lots of color in your garden now. I love those little windflowers.

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