On Wed, 9 Jun 2004 16:29:32 +0100, Kay
wrote:

Over adopted in the context of a country where for many months of the
year any fallen rain does not evaporate for a considerable time. If we
had heavy rain which dried quickly in hot sun, decking would be
admirable. Decking is not suitable where you have periods of drizzle
interrupted by periods of cloud.

I've read Brit lit since I was a tiny child, and eventually became
familiar with terms that define "two countries divided by a single
language," but it took forever to figure out "airing cupboard." It's a
little easier to imagine now that I live in an area where (usually)
frequent rain and high summertime humidity are factors, but I grew up
in New Mexico which has practically none of either.

Given that decking is being
brought into prominence by many TV garden make-over shows which are
designed for people with no experience of outdoor design, it is well
worth putting the opposite view, and suggesting that they should think
of the practicalities.

Suppose in the southern US you were being deluged by TV shows suggesting
instant makeovers involving laying nice green turf, and you had a steady
stream of people wandering into rec.gardening asking where to get the
cheapest turf, wouldn't you feel inclined to probe the reasons for their
choice and mention words like 'watering'?

Surely no one can be naive enough to think that putting down turf is
an instant fix requiring no follow-up care. Well, perhaps *some* can.
:-) The quarrel *I* had with 'Ground Force' was the introduction of
blooming plants for a pretty TV episode conclusion. I would *love* to
see a "1-2 Years Later" feature on some of these transformations.

Still, "makeover" programs are more like fairy tales than reality.
They illustrate principles and suggest ideas, and can hardly detail
the care and habits of each plant in 30 minutes.