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Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens (Weymouth, England)

After seeing a string of English-style gardens, Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens provided a welcome change of pace. Located in a sheltered woodland on the Jurassic Coast, this 30-acre garden is filled with rare semi-tropical plants.   As we entered, we were greeted by this little guy (a golden pheasant) - The entry area included a restaurant with a wrap-around porch and a gift shop - Entering the main gardens - This hill was quite a trek - I was out of breath when I reached the top. Once there, you get an overlook with a view of the ocean - This property was once home to a castle that was once a monastery. This is how it looked in 1890 - The gardens were developed by the Fox-Strangways family. Most notably, William Fox-Strangways, 4th Earl of Ilchester, was a diplomat and botanist, who introduced many exotic species to the garden. The genus Photinia stranvaesia was named after him.  In 1899, Lady Ilchester printed a catalog which documented over 5,000 plants in the garden....
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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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