"Sacha" wrote in message
.uk...
On 29/12/05 8:04 pm, in article , "michael
adams" wrote:
"Sacha" wrote in message
.uk...
On 29/12/05 4:10 pm, in article ,
"michael
adams" wrote:
"Sacha" wrote in message
.uk...
Did anyone see the programme on the Heseltine's arboretum?
An upstart, who not only had to buy all his own furniture*, but
also had to plant all his own trees.
But good heavens above, so were many of those who employed Capability
Brown or Adam, for example! Where would gardens in this country be now
if the rich, landed, nouveau riche etc. etc. hadn't sent plant hunters
abroad on their behalf and funded entirely by their own fortunes? You
don't have to LIKE someone to admire the work they do, the legacy they
leave, do you? Or do you?
...
Yes but that was 200 years ago. Those people were true innovators at
the time. Nobody objects to that.
I bet they did at the time. "Bringing in nasty foreign plants; taking the
native apples and fruits out of the mouths of locals........" etc. etc.
The point is that by their very nature, trees take time to mature.
And so any such scheme will probably need at least 50 years before it
will look anything like at its best.
And? Don't you plant trees for future generations to enjoy? We do. You
seem to be saying that nobody over 20 or 30 at the most, should be
planting
trees that take any time to mature. I simply cannot grasp that nor do I
want to.
....
I'm not saying that at all.
What I'm saying is that if you plant an arboretum now which you expect
to look at its best in 20 or 50 years time, you don't invite vistors
around in the meantime, in the expectation of recieving plaudits.
It will probably take at least 20 years even, before anyone is any
position
to decide whether particular plantings or groupings are a success or
not. Regardless of who was responsible.
Or to put it another way -
"Arboretums can make a poor choice for short-term self-aggrandisement"
But why do you *assume* that planting an arboretum by an intelligent man
and
his wife are 'short-term self-aggrandisement'?
....
Why else would he invite in a television crew to make a one hour programme
around 20 years too soon ?
Heseltines aroboretum has featured in numerous newspaper articles since
it was first mooted around 20 years ago in any case. His whole political
career has been an exercise in self-aggrandisement, which is why he
always aroused suspicions among the Tory Grandees - he not only
tried too hard, but far, far worse, was seen to be be trying too hard.
Unlike say the likes of the similarly middle class Heath, Thatcher,
or John Major who simply blended in.
....
I might not care much for
M. Heseltine but I don't think him to be stupid! And why would you assume
he will not have 20 years in which to see his arboretum come to fruition?
....
Which is the time to invite in the television crew. Not now.
That's my point.
It's like having cosmetic surgery and expecting everyone to admire the
surgeon's handiwork on the day after the operation when your face is maybe
swollen to the size of a football and is bright purple in colour.
Which somewhat misses the point. Which is what leads one to question
the motives of the person having the operation.
If Hezza had already been beavering away in secret at his arboretum for
the past 50 years without telling anyone about it, and it was now
coming to glorious fruition, then if he invited the TV crew in to show
off his handiwork and good taste, then good for him. But he didn't.
(Not that I actually saw the programme, but when has that ever stopped
anyone?) As I understand it, what we got instead was something out of
"World of Arboretums" or "Aroboretums R Us".
....
It seems to me that your pov is negative in the extreme. Planting trees
for the future to enjoy is why many plant them. We planted a mulberry 4
years ago to commemorate the birth of Ray's grand daughter. We will never
see that tree in its wonderful maturity but it appealed rather more than a
leylandii, frankly! We are currently planning the planting of some silver
birches and starting to think about what might take over from the Cedrus
atlanticus when it turns its toes up - and it's at least 150 years old
and
we are getting the benefit of it, so it seems only fair to try to plant
its
successor for whoever is here in another 150 years time. That's what
planting trees, as opposed to a garden, is about. I don't know if you saw
it but there was a programme about Althorp in which Lord Spencer showed a
wood of oak trees his xxxtimes grandfather had planted in a patriotic
gesture to provide masts for the Royal Naval ships. By the time the trees
matured to that point, technology had moved on somewhat but there was this
*wonderful* stand of oaks for this generation to enjoy. Talk about
thinking
ahead, however!
....
Which makes fitting subject matter for TV programes in 20, 50, or even 200
years time, in other words.
It wouldn't surprise me to learn that the Spencers expected to turn
a good profit on those oak trees, at the time they planted them either.
Despite appearences to the contrary nowadays,(leaking roofs, servant
problems, woe is them) magnanimity never came easily to such people
at the time, otherwise they would never have amassed the wealth
they did.
michael adams
....
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)