On 28/1/08 16:25, in article
,
" wrote:

On 28 Jan, 16:05, Des Higgins wrote:
Having moved between 8 houses in 3 countries over past 15 years, this
is all good advice. *If you design something, it is almost guaranteed
that people will not like it anyway. *Just make it look like it is
easy to maintain. *If you already have beds with perennials, mulch
them (bark or cocoa shells or something that looks nice) about a month
before hand and keep it tidy. * If you have so little experience and
so little time, it is almost guaranteed that whatever you do will look
shite.

splutter Well you don't mince your words! And if the poster's only
got a back yard full of rubbles? I think envisaging a path, leading to
existing areas with different planting would be a start. From the post
one feels that he/she knows about gardening, also wants to put his/her
hands on a project, and it doesn't have to be anything resembling a
transformation a la Tichmarsh and Dimmock. Some thoughts on what the
poster has, on what he/she can build with is good. Then adding extras
- which doesn't necesarrily means building a pond and decking the
whole area, but identifying herbaceous and structural plants which
could lift the garden's profile and add money onto the sale of the
house. Hence my suggestion with help at setting up a process rather
than adding some bark mulch and a couple of petunia pots.

The OP said he has no experience in garden design which does not argue a
knowledge of plants and planting or how to use them. He said he didn't want
to spend much money and hopes to sell the house in July, which does not
argue money to spare for any design fees or hard landscaping, such as paths
or 'different planting' that these paths lead to. Paving stones or bricks
cost and laying them takes time.
*Nothing* is more ugly than some hastily thrown together bits of tat which
try to establish a 'garden'. You propose to make a mature, attractive,
established, weed-smothering garden in 7 months, starting in January, on a
low budget? Sorry, no.
Clean and tidy and some spots of colour via tubs is the only way to go for
someone who is selling a house and has no money to spare to 'lift the
garden's profile'. He's spending his own money.
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

On 28 Jan, 18:50, Sacha wrote:
The OP said he has no experience in garden design which does not argue a
knowledge of plants and planting or how to use them.

Indeed - he likes, as he said, 'crafting' around the garden.

*He said he didn't want
to spend much money and hopes to sell the house in July, which does not
argue money to spare for any design fees or hard landscaping, such as paths
or 'different planting' that these paths lead to. *Paving stones or bricks
cost and laying them takes time.

Never suggested to employ a garden designer. I suggested a 1 or 3 days
workshop which is less costly than books, to which I can recommend as
having myself done it. I wouldn't suggest something I haven't
experienced nor done. Laying a path doesn't take 7 month either. And
there's more to understanding your garden to give it a new look than
path, cobbles and 'different planting'. Understanding what you have to
start with and building upon this - which is what we all seem to agree
with.

*Nothing* is more ugly than some hastily thrown together bits of tat which
try to establish a 'garden'. *

I never 'hastily throw together bits of tat'. Maybe you do but I
don't. I am a professional with years of experience in working with
other horticulture/design/environmental skilled people. How one would
deduct from me saying that a bit of 'lifting' would make the garden
look better is bizarre to say the least.

You propose to make a mature, attractive,
established, weed-smothering garden in 7 months, starting in January, on a
low budget? * Sorry, no.

I have never suggested this. Again, you're not reading anything I
write.

Whilst it seems that you are preocupied with hearing your own voice
and opinion, I would take this opportunity to raise my own voice. It
is usually a bad idea to 'liberally fertilize' pumpkins as it split
them or crack them. You stop once they mature and perhaps start on a
doze of potash to make them heavier (if for competition). I just
wanted to make sure you didn't mislead any more people since you don't
have experience in growing pumpkins but still responded with an advice
which wasn't entirely sound on the 'Giant Pumpkin' thread.

Clean and tidy and some spots of colour via tubs is the only way to go for
someone who is selling a house and has no money to spare to 'lift the
garden's profile'. *He's spending his own money.

The poster has asked for design, he didn't say what petunias can I put
around my garden to make it look colourful, he/she asked for design. I
answered in a designer's capacity. If he/she had asked about hanging
baskets, I would have left this to you.

On 29/1/08 12:30, in article
,
" wrote:

On 28 Jan, 18:50, Sacha wrote:
The OP said he has no experience in garden design which does not argue a
knowledge of plants and planting or how to use them.

Indeed - he likes, as he said, 'crafting' around the garden.

I think he *might* have meant 'grafting'= working.


*He said he didn't want
to spend much money and hopes to sell the house in July, which does not
argue money to spare for any design fees or hard landscaping, such as paths
or 'different planting' that these paths lead to. *Paving stones or bricks
cost and laying them takes time.

Never suggested to employ a garden designer. I suggested a 1 or 3 days
workshop which is less costly than books, to which I can recommend as
having myself done it. I wouldn't suggest something I haven't
experienced nor done. Laying a path doesn't take 7 month either. And
there's more to understanding your garden to give it a new look than
path, cobbles and 'different planting'. Understanding what you have to
start with and building upon this - which is what we all seem to agree
with.

*Nothing* is more ugly than some hastily thrown together bits of tat which
try to establish a 'garden'. *

I never 'hastily throw together bits of tat'. Maybe you do but I
don't. I am a professional with years of experience in working with
other horticulture/design/environmental skilled people. How one would
deduct from me saying that a bit of 'lifting' would make the garden
look better is bizarre to say the least.

You propose to make a mature, attractive,
established, weed-smothering garden in 7 months, starting in January, on a
low budget? * Sorry, no.

I have never suggested this. Again, you're not reading anything I
write.

This poster wants to know how to make his garden look good as cheaply as
possible before he sells it in July. As you will see from the suggestions
of others - which you are at liberty to reply to when you're not tryin to
pick a fight with me - my suggestions coincide with those who have rather
more experience than you of this type of enquiry. Here, at the nursery, we
hear this pretty often and the queries come from those willing to spend
several hundred pounds to enhance the garden of a high-end property and from
those who have just a few pounds to stretch as far as possible. As I say,
they're spending their own money, not using a public purse.

Whilst it seems that you are preocupied with hearing your own voice
and opinion, I would take this opportunity to raise my own voice. It
is usually a bad idea to 'liberally fertilize' pumpkins as it split
them or crack them. You stop once they mature and perhaps start on a
doze of potash to make them heavier (if for competition). I just
wanted to make sure you didn't mislead any more people since you don't
have experience in growing pumpkins but still responded with an advice
which wasn't entirely sound on the 'Giant Pumpkin' thread.

I think I'll take the advice of others who answered this query, if I ever
grow pumpkins. Yours does NOT seem to be the agreed upon method. It has
nothing to do with this topic, either.

Clean and tidy and some spots of colour via tubs is the only way to go for
someone who is selling a house and has no money to spare to 'lift the
garden's profile'. *He's spending his own money.

The poster has asked for design, he didn't say what petunias can I put
around my garden to make it look colourful, he/she asked for design. I
answered in a designer's capacity. If he/she had asked about hanging
baskets, I would have left this to you.


Never one to miss a chance of a swipe, Helene, are you? Some of the ideas
you come up with on here make us all wonder if you know a Pelargonium from a
Peach!

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

On 29 Jan, 12:40, Sacha wrote:
Never one to miss a chance of a swipe, Helene, are you? *Some of the ideas
you come up with on here make us all wonder if you know a Pelargonium from a
Peach!

You're a bitch Sacha. I do not know of this 'we' you speak off and I
want you to just leave me alone.

On 29/1/08 12:56, in article
,
" wrote:

On 29 Jan, 12:40, Sacha wrote:
Never one to miss a chance of a swipe, Helene, are you? *Some of the ideas
you come up with on here make us all wonder if you know a Pelargonium from a
Peach!

You're a bitch Sacha. I do not know of this 'we' you speak off and I
want you to just leave me alone.

There are two answers to that: the 'we' of whom I speak are all those who
have you kill-filed and who lined up to tell you what they think of you last
time you started on me and the second answer is, if you don't want my
answers to your nonsense, push off. Don't make silly digs at me without
actually naming me, as you did in the pumpkin thread. You're itching for a
fight. You said you were leaving this group until spring. Shame you can't
keep your word.

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

Sacha wrote:
On 29/1/08 12:56, in article
,
" wrote:

On 29 Jan, 12:40, Sacha wrote:
Never one to miss a chance of a swipe, Helene, are you? Some of the ideas
you come up with on here make us all wonder if you know a Pelargonium from a
Peach!
You're a bitch Sacha. I do not know of this 'we' you speak off and I
want you to just leave me alone.

There are two answers to that: the 'we' of whom I speak are all those who
have you kill-filed and who lined up to tell you what they think of you last
time you started on me and the second answer is, if you don't want my
answers to your nonsense, push off. Don't make silly digs at me without
actually naming me, as you did in the pumpkin thread. You're itching for a
fight. You said you were leaving this group until spring. Shame you can't
keep your word.


I think in a lot of town gardens you have to think about where the
shed's going to be, and what you're going to do about hanging washing
out. Both areas need to be accessible in carpet slippers without getting
your feet wet