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Post by ladystargazer on Jul 25, 2007 20:11:20 GMT 1
Is it just me? I've given up trying to 'design' my garden and I'm getting to the stage where I just plonk them in.
I read a mag, that tells me that Houytunnia Cordata 'Chameleon', Hosta 'Blue Moon' and a yellow iris make a "stunning combination in the border". Then a friend gives me a yellow iris... I buy the Houytunnia and spend ages searching for that particular hosta, which I eventually find and now I'm ready to plant. The Houytunnia promptly vanishes and reappears 3 feet away, the slugs eat the hosta and the iris, when it finally flowers....is blue!
"Try Clematis 'Nelly Moser' growing thru Buddleia 'Black Knight" screams an article in GW magazine. Well, I've already got the Buddleia so I buy 'Nelly Moser' along with a Jackmanii to go over the arbour. The weather changes, I can't plant, in the meantime the clematis labels are lost...you guessed, when I do plant it's the Jackmanii growing thru the Buddleia not 'Nelly Moser'. And clematis 'Jackmanii superba' and Buddleia 'Black Knight'.....are the same colour.
Finally, I buy a pack of white gladioli for the blue and white border (LOL) the only one to come through has finally flowered. It's a deep magenta!!!!!!!!
I give up.
Regards
Ladystargazer.
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Post by sweetleaf on Jul 25, 2007 20:21:38 GMT 1
Im a plonker, me, I have my Houyttynia wotsit in the pond, and as its such a thug its in a small pot. Did the article mention its ability to spread like a weed? None of my plans ever work out, either the plants refuse to flower at the same time or some other disaster overtakes them, it would be nice if a plan ever came together..... but I wont hold my breath!  |
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Post by The witch on Jul 25, 2007 21:46:18 GMT 1
I have similar sort of problems LSG - I make a mental note of what I would like to plant where, then someone kindly buys or gives me a plant which upsets the whole apple cart!!
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Post by 4pygmies on Jul 26, 2007 6:41:10 GMT 1
This is one of my bugbears....I am getting sick of all these "design" elements we are having shoved down our throats on the TV and in magazines. You know I have designed gardens in my previous life but I won't do it now because gardening is about plants and the gardeners love of growing things. There is far too much emphasis on hard landscaping, colour schemes, harmonious this, that and the other. If you have a garden then grow plants you LIKE in it and which suit your conditions! As usual the "design" of a garden has turned into a fashion statement, a tyrannical oneupmanship which robs the garden of any personal element at all. That is NOT the purpose of design - well, it wasn't when I studied at Loughborough in the Dark Ages........ By all means plan a garden so it contains all the things you want and need - shed, HG, play area, washing line, BBQ etc etc but all this frenzy about the best arrangement of plants, the need to harmonise your colour schemes - what a load of bumpkin! It's your garden - grow what you love - it's about the PLANTS and the need to be in touch with growing things.......that's what many people have lost or forgotten about and we ALL need that kind of contact in the world we live in now. Personally I've found that the most beautiful things that happen in my garden are when I've just let the plants get on with it - serendipity, and all that! So there.....  |
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Post by emseypop on Jul 26, 2007 7:51:43 GMT 1
I have yet to follow any plans as my garden is mainly how it was when I moved in with the exception of 3 rose bushes a pear and ornamental plumb tree, oh and we pulled out aload of shrubs at the top and moved the shed and raised the patio and put decking on top of it, and took up the path, and built a GH at the end of the garden.....gosh, we've done more than I thought. But I think a garden should reflect character and if we all follow the plans in mags where would we be. I love my garden to be a mishmash riot of color, cottage garden, shabby chic. (4p can I just transplant yours here) I can't really do much planting till OH and the kids grow up, as they'd have no regards and just squash everything, OH is worse than the kids. Thank God for the Lottie.
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Post by ladystargazer on Jul 26, 2007 8:48:30 GMT 1
Oh I am glad it's not just me! Loved your 'rant' 4P, and I do so agree. I've stopped watching the likes of GW and the various RHS shows on the Beeb 'cos they make me so angry. Sir has to calm me down as I shout at the TV  I mean who wants or can afford a 30foot bright red concrete wall in the garden? Or an old banger of a car done up in the middle of cottage garden planting? Ridiculous, says I. These fantasy conceits they win gold medals for bear no resemblance to the needs and aspirations of over 99% of the gardeners in this country! Bah! Humbug! Rant mode off. One day I'll have the garden of MY dreams - and the gardener to maintain it. Yeah, right. Regards Ladystargazer |
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Post by Sleepy on Jul 26, 2007 9:09:50 GMT 1
....Or an old banger of a car done up in the middle of cottage garden planting? Ridiculous, says I. These fantasy conceits they win gold medals for bear no resemblance to the needs and aspirations of over 99% of the gardeners in this country! Bah! Humbug! Rant mode off. Ladystargazer To be fair the old banger in the garden concept is very popular in Birmingham LSG ;D |
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Post by sweetleaf on Jul 26, 2007 9:11:26 GMT 1
....Or an old banger of a car done up in the middle of cottage garden planting? Ridiculous, says I. These fantasy conceits they win gold medals for bear no resemblance to the needs and aspirations of over 99% of the gardeners in this country! Bah! Humbug! Rant mode off. Ladystargazer To be fair the old banger in the garden concept is very popular in Birmingham LSG ;D Well I wouldnt say popular  |
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Post by ladystargazer on Jul 26, 2007 9:46:51 GMT 1
Ah, Sleepy, but that's not intentional, is it. That's not yer actual design. It's probably just necessity  |
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Post by Sleepy on Jul 26, 2007 9:48:50 GMT 1
Ah, Sleepy, but that's not intentional, is it. That's not yer actual design. It's probably just necessity Hmmm... maybe you're right  |
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Post by 4pygmies on Jul 26, 2007 13:39:34 GMT 1
Quite right! Hear hear! LSG, shall we a new movement for completely non designed gardens? We could launch it on AF and have a virtual show! Here's a garden - 60 X 60 - for a family of 4, they need to use it for recreation....so they don't want a chamomile lawn.The children are ages 5 and 10, and they like bikes and swings and extremely unattractive bright coloured plastic toys. The mother is too hard pressed to do lots of gardening and the husband doesn't mind mowing the grass. How would you make it attractive, family friendly, cheap and still attractive to wild life? No pebbles (small children), no decking (too slippery), no slate (too sharp) and no massive frost un-hardy pots and with a decent lawn.........never seen anything like that at a Garden Show........ has anyone? |
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Post by emseypop on Jul 26, 2007 14:09:08 GMT 1
Quite right! Hear hear! LSG, shall we a new movement for completely non designed gardens? We could launch it on AF and have a virtual show! Here's a garden - 60 X 60 - for a family of 4, they need to use it for recreation....so they don't want a chamomile lawn.The children are ages 5 and 10, and they like bikes and swings and extremely unattractive bright coloured plastic toys. The mother is too hard pressed to do lots of gardening and the husband doesn't mind mowing the grass. How would you make it attractive, family friendly, cheap and still attractive to wild life? No pebbles (small children), no decking (too slippery), no slate (too sharp) and no massive frost un-hardy pots and with a decent lawn.........never seen anything like that at a Garden Show........ has anyone? And no blue painted trelis or morrocan themes |
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Post by 4pygmies on Jul 26, 2007 14:16:33 GMT 1
Exactly!  |
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Post by ladystargazer on Jul 26, 2007 15:07:17 GMT 1
Oh yes, 4P, lets launch our own 'undesign' company. I'm with emsey - no blue trellising, no camomile lawns, no arty-farty wind chimes, no 'themes' ...Moroccan or otherwise... just sensible gardens with sensible planting. Good grief! I'm turning into Victor Meldrew. Victoria Meldrew, anyway. Now I think I'd better go and lie down in a darkened room |
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Post by Sleepy on Jul 26, 2007 15:15:22 GMT 1
Oh yes, 4P, lets launch our own 'undesign' company. I'm with emsey - no blue trellising, no camomile lawns, no arty-farty wind chimes, no 'themes' ...Moroccan or otherwise... just sensible gardens with sensible planting. Good grief! I'm turning into Victor Meldrew. Victoria Meldrew, anyway. Now I think I'd better go and lie down in a darkened room You can't go lie down in a darkened room. You must be buried up to your neck in the garden and a large flower pot placed over your head! |
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Post by ladystargazer on Jul 26, 2007 15:17:26 GMT 1
No change there, then |
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Post by sweetleaf on Jul 26, 2007 15:21:14 GMT 1
Is green trellis ok? : Only I saw some down the road I was going to scavenge, for my passion flower. Its "green" in more ways than one, I thought! |
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Post by mickthecactus on Jul 26, 2007 16:39:22 GMT 1
I do have decking but it was the only way to cover a large expanse of concrete and, yes, it does get slippery. C'est la vie. I have a gardening book published just after the war with garden designs all based on pre war thinking. Frankly they are lovely. Peaceful, practical and so easy on the eye. Why can't we go back to that gardening era? Mind you, there is a chapter on how to build you own model steam railway in the garden. It was rather designed for the well orf. |
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Jul 26, 2007 20:24:02 GMT 1
This year I decided to try an experiment....I chose mainly plants that had orange or purple flowers, grew them from seed and planted them carefully....choosing combinations that I thought would look pretty together....but my plant addiction...plus the 'OOH I HAVE to have some of THESE in the garden'...has ended up with my usual jungley-riot in the border.....
I don't usually plan much...but do tend to grow plants that I like the look of, this year has been my least successful ! Last year the 'bung-it-in' method resulted in a gorgeous tangle of big bright clashing colours that actually looked amazing...I had purple chili (numex twilight) jostling with bright red dahlias, pink lupins, purple passion flowers, sunflowers and big blue balloon flowers...there were gaillardias, marigolds and salvias along with pink and blue veronicas, gazanias, cosmos, fuschias and various coleus, cineraria and persian shield...all crammed into my tiny flower bed.... ;D
I reckon that there's still time to salvage the border this year, but I'm already planning next year's border......of course it'll all go out of the window when spring starts my seed sowing frenzy...at least I'm starting to learn what DOESN'T work in the garden....plenty of time to make more mistakes.....
The only reason I watch these garden progs is to get ideas...I like to see what new plants are around...and sometimes I like to try stuff..I love exotic plants but am restricted by the size of the garden and how tender they are....I have bananas and palms in with the summer bedding....not trying to produce and exotic garden...just trying to make the garden beautiful for us.....
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