Garden Visit: Special Plants


Last Thursday, Threadspider and I treated ourselves to our first visit to Special Plants, one of Dan Pearson's favourite nurseries. Whilst it's not that far from us, for some reason we'd never been before and I can't really think why that is. However a combination of sighs of envy from Karen and Helen when hearing about our plans, plus the added attraction of nursery owner Derry Watkins' adjacent garden being open for the NGS, meant we could hold ourselves back no longer.

The garden's situated on a very steep slope, so 'good bones' had to be installed, whilst still allowing the extensive superb views over the adjacent farmland and valleys to be retained. What's emerged is a very sheltered garden, with a series of terraces, drystone walls and gentler slopes with plenty of room for plants, many of which are tender in their nature. This is the first view you see of the back garden as you emerge from the house.

At the top of the slope next to the house are very well drained areas ideal for gravel planting and many tender specimens. I was taken with the mixture of shapes and heights with combinations I wouldn't have dared try at home.

Surprisingly, there is little in terms of sculpture and ornamentation in the garden, but what's there earns its keep. Both Threadspider and I were very taken with this 'carnival of animals'.

Immediately below the gravel garden is a long border, crammed with plants and also box balls to add winter interest. The Nepeta edging ensured this part of the garden was abuzz with insects. Whilst we were admiring this part of the garden we struck up a lively conversation with a lady who turned out to be Derry's mother-in-law. This then led to us having a long chat with Derry herself :D


Not everything is terraced. There is a long, sloping section which hosts the Black and White border - Derry did a black and white garden at Chelsea a few years ago. As you can see, plants of other hues are allowed now! This border housed a fantastic Clematis durandii: it's most striking and wonderful scent followed us around much of the garden.

After a long break for tea and cake so we could just watch the changing light over the garden and fields, we adjourned to the very well stocked nursery, where the plants are set out by the kind of situation they like e.g. dry shade. There are many treasures to be found.

This Calceolaria 'Kentish Hero' was a new discovery for me and it looked like it had teeth! Not my first choice of plant, but I did come away with some Dahlia merckii - thanks to Constant Gardener's inspirational photos of her plant - and Rudbeckia maxima seeds. This latter plant was another discovery and as soon as I saw its tall (it grows to 5-6 feet), dramatic blooms (with a massive 3 inch long central cone) beckoning to me from its tucked away corner, it became an instant 'must have'.

Having broken my nursery 'duck', I suspect it won't be too long before I return again. Derry has been running Special Tuesdays, a weekly series of talks since spring, which still has a few weeks to go. It includes such diverse topics as seed saving, grasses and putting the garden to bed for winter. The garden's also open on Wednesdays and there's the final NGS opening of the season on October 15th. There's also further treats to be had over the winter months as Derry puts together the most impressive list of speakers for the Gardening Club at Bath University. Fergus Garrett's the first one she's lined up, scheduled for next month :)

Comments

  1. Nutty Gnome21 September 2009 at 12:42

    Special Plants looks like a great place to visit - but it's a bit far for me to just pop in, so I'd have to combine it with something else!
    Derry's garden is wonderful - thanks for sharing it with us.

    The calceolaria reminded me of a beaver! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. petoskystone21 September 2009 at 13:14

    wow! what a beautiful space.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Charlotte Weychan21 September 2009 at 14:02

    This looks like a really interesting place - must put it on my list for when I get home.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Frances21 September 2009 at 15:51

    Hi VP, not only a nursery but a wonderful personal display garden too? So much inspiration here, did you take copious notes? How lucky to have it so close, but bad for the pocketbook. And lucky for you and Threadspider to travel together to places you both find interesting, the luckiest of all in fact. :-)
    Frances

    ReplyDelete
  5. Arabella Sock21 September 2009 at 17:02

    I love the sculptures - particularly the naked lady dashing through the euphorbia.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Karen An Artist's Garden21 September 2009 at 17:27

    sigh
    K

    ReplyDelete
  7. Threadspider21 September 2009 at 19:08

    We did have a grand day out VP, didn't we? It was especially rewarding having the garden open as well as the nursery. Very inspiring.

    ReplyDelete
  8. HappyMouffetard21 September 2009 at 20:38

    a wonderful garden, sursery, cake and a chat with the owner - pretty much perfect. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anna21 September 2009 at 21:42

    Long Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiighs of envy coming from this direction too :) Did you see the article in the September issue of 'The English Garden'?

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anna21 September 2009 at 21:43

    P.S. I meant to say the article about Derry's garden?

    ReplyDelete
  11. Elizabeth Musgrave21 September 2009 at 21:47

    Oh you lucky lucky things. I am green with envy too. Must remind myself I have Bodnant and Crug and the Dingle and must not be greedy. Looks fabulous though.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Juliet21 September 2009 at 23:25

    That's funny - I was there two weeks ago! R very kindly sat on a bench in the nursery with a book while I went round the garden, then he joined me for tea & cake in the house. It is a beautiful place, isn't it? I have enormous numbers of photos - will have to see if I can find some completely different views to put on my blog (or maybe it would be funny if I have exactly the same ones!). I fell in love with Dahlia twynings after eight in the black and white border, but they didn't have it in the nursery, so I only came away with a packet of Papaver rupifragum seeds.

    Thank you for your comment on James's blog, btw - I thought of contacting you before we were there this time, but I'm difficult to meet (because of my allergies - and also because I can't use the phone), and we didn't want to plan particular days in advance in case we found houses to view. I might be back in the area later this year so we might be able to meet then if you can cope with the allergies!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Victoria Summerley21 September 2009 at 23:40

    I'm very envious - one of the women in my gardening group came back raving about the nursery. It's definitely on my to do list.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Helen/patientgardener22 September 2009 at 08:41

    Seriously sulking now

    ReplyDelete
  15. VP22 September 2009 at 15:51

    Nutty Gnome - if I write enough reviews of local gardens etc. perhaps that'll give you an excuse to come down here on holiday!

    Petoskystone - it is and I can't think why it's taken 12 years for me to finally go there!

    TGG - I thought you might do that, especially as you've already covered quite a few of the Wiltshire recommendations I have for you :)

    Frances - copious photographs tend to be my notes these days, plus a blog write-up and links to put my general thoughts in place. I decided to limit the size of my purse (pocketbook) just in case. However, buying seeds is much more cost effective, although it's much more labour intensive further down the line! And yes, I am indeed very lucky to have found Threadspider as a companion and friend - via blogging!

    Arabella - I love her too, especially as she had a snail hat. I suspect she might crop up again in future posts!

    Karen - heh heh! You do however have Crug close by. Sigh.

    TS - we most certainly did. I can see myself getting a season ticket for next year...

    HM - it certainly was!

    Anna - no I didn't, but I did see the article in Gardens Illustrated earlier in the year.

    Elizabethm - I've been watching the series on Bodnant on TV lately as it's on my visit wish-list. I'm sure we could all play a game of Top Trumps trading off all our local gardens and nurseries we all like or want to visit!

    Juliet - what a coincidence and you were even closer to me this time than when you were in Melksham or viewing Heaven's Gate! I was going to write about that Dahlia - it's fab isn't it. You can just see it in my first photo dotted about on the horizon. It would have been the wrong time of year to buy it as you'd only get a couple of months pleasure from it. Best to buy some tubers ready for next year or when you finally find out where your new home's going to be :)

    Victoria - and when you do go, you MUST come and visit!!!!!!!

    PG - heh, heh, heh. That's a very evil laugh BTW. I'm sure you'll get your revenge this weekend when you go to Malvern ;)

    ReplyDelete
  16. The Constant Gardener22 September 2009 at 19:26

    add my enviousness to everyone else's. I've wanted to see this garden for the longest time - this is a great writeup though so thanks for letting me enjoy it vicariously (sometimes the best way!)

    glad I've persuaded you with the Dahlia merckii - fast becoming my all-time favourite garden plant. I leave it in year on year, it's the only dahlia that gets past the slugs, it seems to be entirely hardy and it's now about 4ft by 4ft and flowering like it's going out of fashion. Gorgeous, gorgeous plant!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Mr. McGregor's Daughter23 September 2009 at 22:26

    What a great place to visit & shop! Grouping plants for sale by growing conditions makes a lot of sense. The closest I've seen around here is Sun vs. Shade plants.

    ReplyDelete
  18. VP5 October 2009 at 09:45

    CG - I don't usually do flower seeds, the veggie ones take up all the room. However, I'm really looking forward to growing these :)

    MMD - it was great. I suspect a season ticket there might be on the shopping list for next year.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anne Wareham11 November 2009 at 16:41

    The brilliant part of Derry's garden is how they have coped with the serious difficulty of the garden sloping severely away from the house, managing to 'anchor' it with hedging so that it doesn't feel as if it's running away from you.

    ReplyDelete
  20. VP11 November 2009 at 16:45

    Anne - yes and retaining all those wonderful views too. You've reminded me about her use of Phragmites australis as a hedge as well - I must sort out my picture of it and post about it...

    ReplyDelete

New comments are not allowed.

Your essential reads

That blue flower: A spring spotter's guide

Image
Spring is a prime time for blue flowers and my daily walks currently have several from the same plant family* lining the local footpaths. As I walked past the Donkey Field the other day, I overheard some children ask their parents** what the pictured blue flower was. It reminded me it's often mistaken for those other familial blues and this time was no different, as they said it was forget-me-not, instead of the green alkanet it actually is. As well as similar flowers, most of these plants are hairy in their nature, flower around the same time, and favour damp, shady places. Many of them are great for pollinators too, especially bees and this week's warm weather has certainly drawn them to these flowers. This makes it even more likely for these plants to be mistaken for each other and it's a great opportunity for me to put together a spotter's guide in case you find the same flowers on your outings. Staying with green alkanet, the key features which set it
Read more

Jack Go To Bed At Noon

Image
Last year this rather exotic looking flower appeared on mine and several other allotments for the first time. Having been stumped (again) by Mr Allotment Warden as to its identity, I rushed home to find out what it was. It's salsify, aka the marvellous Jack Go To Bed At Noon - named as such because its flowers always close by midday. Here you can see both open and closed flowers - making it seem even more exotic and alien than in the first picture. I think this must be the cultivated version because the flower in my Francis Rose Wild Flower Key looks exactly the same in form, but is bright yellow in colour and called meadow salsify . Its other common name is Goatsbeard, which must be a nod to the fantastic dandelion-like clock which forms the seed head. With 'parachutes' like those shown above, who knows how far our plotted plants came from. I rather like the photographic dissection of the seedhead found in this link . Salsify is edible: its lateral shoots and fl
Read more

Red Nose Day - Gardening Jokes Anyone?

Image
The nation goes ever so slightly bonkers on Red Nose Day - hurrah! Previously, it's been very easy to join in - usually via a dress down day at work plus lots of people up to mad things at the station and in the office. Everyone smiling for once - it's a real feel good day and all in a good cause. This year's different - every day's a dress down day for me now - my friend L suggested yesterday that perhaps I could have a dress up day instead and whilst that's a good idea, I confess that ballgowns and tiaras don't really feature in my wardrobe: scruffy student's always been my favourite look. So my Red Nose Day contribution for this year is to compile a list of gardening related jokes. For each one (clean ones only please) you leave in the comments below, I'll make a donation of 50p to the cause. Here's a few for starters just to get you warmed up: Q Why do potatoes make good detectives? A Because they keep their eyes peeled. Q What did the grape
Read more

Salad Days: Mastering Lettuce

Image
I've decided one of my salad challenges for this year is to grow as many lettuce varieties as I can, ready for the publication of my planned Factsheet* later on. The idea is to grow as many of the Tried and Trusted lettuce varieties last year's Salad Challengers helped compile, then provide a visual guide and as many lettuce facts as I can muster. So far I've found around half of those listed**. Then naturally whilst I was out searching - because such is the way with seeds - a number of other varieties found their way home too ;) A couple of weeks ago I sowed 22 varieties***. Just the simple act of sowing them has me intrigued. Why are some lettuce seeds black and others white****? They split into about half white to half black in my sample and as far as I can tell it's nothing to do with whether they're a type of cos, iceberg, or whatever. I sowed them indoors and popped them into a propagator on the windowsill. The soil's too cold outside for sowing
Read more

VPs VIPs: Derry Watkins of Special Plants

Image
Last week I had the pleasure of visiting Derry Watkins at her home, garden and nursery - the acclaimed Special Plants - just a few miles along the road from me. I first met Derry at one of her open garden days last year and was keen to find out more about her wonderful garden and running an independent nursery. She specialises in tender perennials and regularly goes on plant hunting trips to find new treasures, particularly in South Africa. As well as running Special Plants and opening her garden under the NGS scheme , Derry holds day courses at her nursery, hosts Special Tuesdays from April until September, lectures and has written a couple of books. How did you find your way from Connecticut to the UK? I'd started a biodynamic vegetable garden in Connecticut and we used to have people come along at weekends to help out. A particular young man turned up: he returned many times and at the end of the summer I married him. So it was all down to love? Isn't that the
Read more

#mygardenrightnow: heading into summer with the Chelsea Fringe

Image
Ahhhhhh, that's better! I love walking through dewy grass in bare feet, not that there's much in the way of grass on my back lawn this weekend. My wild and woolly lawn has morphed into meadow of sorts this month, which even NAH admits looks attractive*. It's also proved a great source for my Flowers for mum project so far, yielding self-sown perennial cornflowers, lamb's ears, and lemon balm in addition to the blooms you can see. These originated from elsewhere in the garden, the ox-eye daisies must have blown in from the A350 nearby. * = he got very stroppy about the weeds aka self-sown foxgloves in the lawn one year, so he's come along a bit since then. Skimble's demanding to say hello to you too. He does enjoy the patio when it warms up. If the embedded video doesn't work try this link instead. The Nectaroscordum are a revelation. I planted the bulbs around 2 years ago, but it's only this year they've bloomed properly. The bee
Read more

The Resilient Garden

Image
  Part of Tom Massey's Resilient Garden at RHS Hampton Court I've been pondering VP Gardens a lot lately. Last year's drought conditions set me off initially, then our harsher than usual winter combined with this summer's flip and flop weather means the thinking continues. It's a huge topic which I freely admit I'm struggling to get my head around. Tom Massey's Resilient Garden  at Hampton Court recently  tackled this topic brilliantly and was a timely interlude which gave me much food for thought. There he encapsulated the detailed research he'd found which informed both his show garden and book of the same name. I think it's one of the most important show gardens I've ever seen. It's clear the way I garden needs to change so that I have my own resilient garden. I haven't worked out the exact details yet, but Tom's book plus a couple of others (see below), alongside the rainwater management handout from the show garden's  sponso
Read more

Testing Times: Tomatoes

Image
  I've run a couple of tomato trials this year. The first is a revisit of the biochar trial with Oxford University I attempted some years ago (with a different organisation this time), and the second is a trial of a water gadget called Plantsurge which I was given to try at Malvern Spring Show earlier this year. Most of you have probably heard of biochar already and the claim that this inert, carbon-rich material can help soil fertility and plant health. The RHS information in the above link says results can be mixed, with reduced effects found in alkaline soils. This may help to explain the lack of difference I found in my previous trial as VP Gardens is on a lime-rich soil. Plantsurge is a different beast altogether. It's a strong magnet which is attached to a hosepipe as shown in the photo above. It's claimed that it softens water, with the result more like watering with rainwater. The higher nitrogen found in rainwater is thought to be beneficial to plants. Gardener
Read more

Chelsea Fringe 2014: Shows of Hands - Episode I

Image
The gloves NAH used to build the raised bed . The effects are L to R, top to bottom:  Original photo, Warhol, HDR, Green tint, B&W, Posterize, Boost, Cross process and Sepia Welcome to Shows of Hands - my Chelsea Fringe project for 2014! As you can see I've been having a bit of a play around in Pic Monkey for my first contribution. You're welcome to join in between now and 8th June 2014. The idea behind this year's project is to highlight the tool most precious to a gardener: their hands. How do I take part? It's simple. All you need to do is take a photo of hand(s) in a gardening context and then share it via your blog or other social media (such as Twitter or Facebook), then make sure I know you've done so. I've set up Mr Linky below for your blog contributions. The Chelsea Fringe photo on the right sidebar links to this post, so you can easily find it again when you're ready to add your contribution. If you share your photo on Twitter,
Read more

Make Use of Mildew

Image
On my garden patrol this morning I spotted some powdery mildew on a couple of my new Verbena bonariensis plants. I suppose it was almost inevitable as I prefer to grow my plants hard - this means no water for them unless they look absolutely desperate. This approach means plants root themselves more deeply and have a better chance of survival during spells of dry weather like we've had lately. However, it also means I run the risk of problems like today's, especially with any garden newbies planted late in the season. We've had a good drop of rain overnight, so this should help my plants survive. I'll mulch them later today to help lock in the moisture as it's water stress which encourages the mildew to take hold. I've also removed the infected leaves and sprayed the rest with a milky drink.* I'm also pleased to find there's a use for my infected leaves. Oliver Ellingham at Reading University has started a PhD - sponsored by the RHS - researchi
Read more