In addition to visiting the Roald Dahl garden at Gypsy House, we called in at the Plant Specialist, a lovely plant nursery with some serious plant shopping on the agenda. The nursery has been open since 2002 and was set up by Keith Pounder and Sean Walter to provide a source of new and unusual herbaceous perennials and ornamental grasses. This is a rare type of nursery in that it does not have a tea room nor shelves of strange smelling candles but it does have a great selection of plants at fair prices, as well as charming and inspiring display gardens.
Tank planted with strong pink Callirhoe and a pale pink variety of Onagraceae, Mexican evening primrose.
Now my companion on this visit, Liz, had not been here before but had brought her cheque book and shopping list as she is in the midst of replanting her garden. Well I reckon we must have spent over an hour just looking through the aisles, spoiled for choice, finding everything on the list, as well as some other gems as well. Like kids in a sweet shop, we chose what we thought was the best three of each variety.
Area for plants suited to shade
Sun-baked perennials for sale
The staff were great, happy to chat and compare plant loves and hates, (Euphorbias were the top of everyone’s mean list, having recently caused my arms to swell and itch for a week, they had caused burn marks on one of the staff). If there was a plant we were unfamiliar with they were able to advise on suitable conditions, habit etc. And if we needed inspiration we could see the plants in their display garden:
Here are some snapshots of the plants chosen:
The staff helpfully found some boxes and biodegradable bags in which to pack the plants so that Liz could get them home in her car without spoiling the interior. How refreshing is that!
If you are hoping to find some unusual plants or you are simply looking for inspiration, I recommend a visit to the Plant Specialist. Now open on Bank Holiday Mondays, please be aware that it is only open March to October, Wednesday to Sunday inclusive. If you feel that a cuppa is part of any nursery outing, wander in to the High Street to find refreshments.
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