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Stourhead (Wiltshire, England)

Stourhead is one of the most famous gardens in England. This massive estate includes a Palladian house and park-like garden (2300 acres!) that surrounds a huge man-made lake. It is one picture-perfect view after another. The expression "a living work of art" certainly applies here. Now, to my embarrassment, I missed some of the main features, including the house! I don't know how it happened, as I had a nourishing English-style breakfast, I wasn't under the influence of anything, and I even had a map of the premises.  Looking at a map of the grounds of Stourhead now, I can see that the house is situated in an unusual location, removed from the main house and the visitor entrance.  It is past the Stable Yard, which wasn't that interesting and I had turned around and headed back to the entrance and our bus (I had already walked around the lake and gardens). I regret that I missed the house.  Henry Hoare II inherited Stourhead in 1717 when he was twenty. He built the...
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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.


The tranquil surrounding countryside -


I was impressed by her system of labeling plants for visitors. Each island bed was adorned with a small metal sculpture of a dancing lady holding a number. A hand-out detailed the numbered sections and listed plants that were blooming in that particular section. It was very effective.


Derry Watkins was a charming host and answered all our questions and let us shop her seeds. I am terribly inept with seeds but I ended up purchasing lunaria 'Corfu Blue' seeds (it was blooming throughout the garden and so spectacular). I also got some cleome and verbena seeds. 

(Visited May 9, 2025)

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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  1. Kris PetersonAugust 11, 2025 at 12:53 PM

    That's another charming garden! I hope the seeds come through for you, Phillip.

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  2. hbAugust 11, 2025 at 3:43 PM

    A plant lover's dream vacation! Seeds--a little practice and they aren't so bad. It's sort of magical when a little dried bit of something becomes a plant.

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  3. Ardith FergusonAugust 11, 2025 at 5:25 PM

    What a beautiful house and garden!

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  4. DeniseAugust 12, 2025 at 9:55 AM

    I remember a very long track, similar to getting to Dancing Oaks, when we visited in fall. We saw only the nursery, though -- I'm surprised at how large the garden is, and that she's a former Oregonian!

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  5. tz_gardenAugust 13, 2025 at 8:13 AM

    Gorgeous property, she's made the most of the different elevations.

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