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Old 14-11-2003, 09:42 AM
anton
 
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Default large garden maintenance


Kay Easton wrote in message ...
In article , anton
writes

Kay Easton wrote in message ...
In article , anton
writes

Remember that a bigger garden should not look like 5 smaller
gardens next to one another.

Why not? That's roughly what Sissinghurst is like. And York gate?



In the context of the OP, i.e low maintenance gardening of a bigger garden
than she is used to, and from what remember
of seeing Sissinghurst (on TV only), I suggest that the
maintenance requirement of Sissinghurst is 'why not'. Borders?
Roses?


Compartments doesn't have to be borders and roses!


True, but- you suggested Sissinghurst.

I see no reason why
you shouldn't compartmentalise a garden and yet have a low maintenance
layout in each of those areas.



The act of dividing into compartments tends to increase
the maintenance requirement, unless the divider is a no-
maintenance brick wall. Of course the compartments
individually can be relatively high- or low- maintenance.
By the way, I haven't actually suggested that a large garden
shouldn't be divided or compartmentalised at all- just that it
shouldn't look like 5 small gardens next to one another.

But well filled borders of shrubs are not high maintenance, neither are
shrub roses.


Relative to what?

In the more general meaning, I'm happy to admit that it's only my
personal opinion that a bigger garden shouldn't look like 5
smaller ones. Gardens of any size can contain treasures, and
some of the most jewel-like can be on a very small scale, but in a bigger
garden you can aim at peace, seclusion and a sense of awe at what nature

can
achieve. I don't personally get any of that
from the 'rooms' that the garden designers would have us believe are the
best use of a big garden.

Yes - as you say, it is personal taste. Personally, I find myself rather
bored by huge lawns surrounded by curving borders, and much prefer a
journey of exploration


This is a straw man argument. You are pretending that the
only alternative to dividing a large garden into a series of rooms is a
'huge lawn surrounded by curving borders', and that the only way of
achieving a journey of exploration is by 'compartmentalising'. You can have
a journey of exploration
walking down a slightly-curving woodland track.

--
Anton