Well how about that :-)

I got it pretty right in my posting didn't I?

Mike



"Sacha" wrote in message ...

On 2013-08-24 08:16:49 +0100, Derek said:

After many years with a small garden I now have a very large blank
canvas to keep me occupied. At the moment, its featureless. Can anyone
suggest a good book on Garden Design.

The first thing is to consider how you're going to use the garden.
Where do you want an eating-out/evening drink area? Do you need a space
for a washing line, a compost heap, a shed, a veg plot, children's play
area, dog compound? Do you want a paved terrace right outside a door
or french windows? Do you like island beds or would you prefer to
stick to borders that have a wavy edge but make lawn mowing easy?
Interesting gardens are usually those you can't see in one glance, so
you could consider hedges that break the garden up into separate spaces
and if you want roses and have the space, they're usually better grown
in their own rose garden so that, in winter you don't see a lot of bare
sticks but in summer you walk down the garden to visit them and sit on
a thoughtfully placed bench. Do you have a view you want to 'frame'
with tree or shrub planting, or is there a 'borrowed' landscape you
want to incorporate into your own garden? As to books, there are so
many that, imo, it's impossible to recommend one and so much depends on
your preferred style - cottage, parterres, greensward, meadow? If you
have a lot of space, would you like an area that is a cutting garden,
just providing flowers for the house? I think one of the best ways of
getting an idea of where to start is by visiting other gardens, though
it's getting late in the year for that. But if nothing else, you may
well find what you don't want. And finally, it may be worth bearing in
mind that if you expect to be in this house for a long time, you might
want to look at it from the point of being relatively easy maintenance
later.
--

Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
www.helpforheroes.org.uk