"Sacha" wrote in message
"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote:
"Sacha" wrote in message

Today we visited Prince Charles's garden at Highgrove.

I'm pea green with envy! I've always liked Charles attitude to the world
even when he was being criticised left right and centre about his loopy
views, Dianna (who I always thought was as nutty as a fruit cake), his
criticism of inappropriate development etc, etc.

I was never mad about Diana myself and felt he got a lot of very unfair
but
carefully orchesrated flak over that situation.

Indeed! My ma-in-law is fond of reminding me that when Charles and Di got
engaged and she asked me what I thought of it, I predicted that the marriage
would be a disaster.

I saw "The Garden at Highgrove" at a friend's place and thought that I
wouldn't bother to buy it. I didn't think that, other than the pretty
pics,
I would find anything or real interest or applicablity therein. I live
in
dry, scruffy rural Australia and a gardener charges more than a surgeon,
if
you can find one. I also live in a nasty climate for drought and heat.
He's a rich royal living in a drop dead gorgeous area of the UK with
multiple resouces at hand. Not at all promising, but having bought it,
it's
amazing how inspiring it is. I refer to it again and again. I can't use
the same plants or the same vastly expensive pots or the statuary ....,
but
the inspiration is all there and I can find alternatives even if not as
posh
or as expensive.

You've summed up the reason to visit gardens, IMO. It doesn't matter
whether they're huge ones of several acres or tiny ones lovingly tended by
their owner. There is always the possibility of seeing something - a
plant,
an ornament, a juxtaposition of planting, that will give you an idea for
your own garden.

Yes. I don't think I've ever visisted one garden when I didn't pick up one
idea. I'm a garden groupie.

As I said, I'm pea green with envy, as that is one garden, I'd almost be
prepared to kill to see.

All you have to do is get yourself over here and join some organisation
that's likely to be considered for a visit. ;-)

Hmmmmm Wonder if he'd consider having some County Women's Association
visitors? That org is the equiv of the WI and I'm a memeber and have been
for years.

I believe the usual
waiting list is a 'mere' 5 years long. But those visitors must raise
thousands of pounds for the Prince's Trust. What amazed me was while
security there is known to be extremely tight, it was very unobtrusive and
we were able to walk right up to the house. The blinds in the lower
windows
were drawn in case anyone was rude enough to peer in but I hadn't expected
to be allowed into the immediate surround to the house.

I have actually seem garden visitors peer through windows that weren't
curtained. I was gobbsmacked at such rudeness.