On Sat, 10 Jan 2004 08:50:56 +0100, "JennyC" wrote:


"Sacha" wrote

"Sacha" wrote
That's my point. I don't know what the average garden size is in this
country but apparently both gardens and houses have been getting
considerably smaller since the last war. Perceptions have changed
accordingly, I imagine.
Sacha

Pffffff !
You want to come over here to Holland - the majority of gardens are postage
stamp size :~(

A 'small;' garden in England seems huge to me :~)
Jenny

We've both just read Roy Strong's book about his own garden "The Lasket" and
he is immensely complimentary about the Dutch and what they do with their
tiny gardens. Small IS beautiful! ;-)
Sacha

I don't know if you mean now or in the past, but I must say that on average the
'regular' Dutch garden is probably better laid out and looked after than the
average British one !! (ducking down to avoid flames)

A lot of them are done by garden centre gardeners and not the owners,
and a lot of the gardens are only skin deep. A garden centre man turns
up puts a thin layer of soil over the weeds inserts garden centre
plants and departs. A few weeks later the plants are dead and weeds
are abundant.
Considering how cheap one can buy bulbs in the Bollenstreek, and how
small the gardens are, surprisingly few Dutch gardens have a good
display of bulbs in spring.


This is due to the very cheap prices of plants here. 'Normal' people in Holland
do not really garden as the British do. They don't have to grow seeds or take
cuttings as things are so readily available for next to nothing. They just go
out and buy and instant garden down the garden centre.

The British excel in really good specialist gardens but I am always disheartened
when I go down roads in UK towns where there might be only one 'proper' garden
in the whole street.

Despite which we can spot the houses belonging to British expatriates,
they are the ones with the best gardens. the ones belonging to
Italians are the worst. In Italy most private gardens are sad too.

Mini-Keukenhof owner of one of the only proper gardens in our street
in NL
--
Martin