* La Puce wrote, On 05/06/2007 12:15:

I deal with it constantly because I help maintain a few small urban
gardens, and I often find myself having to explain that they can't
have it both way - they want the wild and colourful appearance of a
garden but won't accept the plants which make it so nor the bugs
attracted to it. I had to remove 3 lavenders because of bees, in case
little Jimmy gets bitten ...! Through my designs I always add a wild
area, usually from an exsisting patch where I see an abondance of bugs
and the attractive plants. I have never have to 'create' a wild area,
however small the garden is. And I've made myself a promise that once
I do get into designing for real clients, I will turn out work asking
me for a modern style garden with no bugs, no smell, no life, no
weeds. Because that is simply not a garden.


That reminds me of a late friend of mine, who was a professional
gardener, who used to despair of those people who wanted a garden to
encourage butterflies but who wouldn't contemplate anything that might
encourage caterpillars!

--
Cheers, Serena
If you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible
warning. (Catherine Aird)