Just uploaded some photos taken yesterday.
It's very much a work in progress - none of it is more than 18 months
old.
After 40 odd years as a pro this is the first real garden of my very
own.
The brief from my wife was simple - Flowers, then more flowers and
more again.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sylvan4

Rod

"Rod" wrote ...

Just uploaded some photos taken yesterday.
It's very much a work in progress - none of it is more than 18 months
old.
After 40 odd years as a pro this is the first real garden of my very
own.
The brief from my wife was simple - Flowers, then more flowers and
more again.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sylvan4

----------------------

After decades of putting up with my passion for the unusual in our garden my
wife also said could we please have pretty now. So I have to be more careful
about where I put the un-pretty. :-)

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
W.of London. UK

On Wed, 13 Apr 2011 12:00:20 -0700 (PDT), Rod
wrote:

Just uploaded some photos taken yesterday.
It's very much a work in progress - none of it is more than 18 months
old.
After 40 odd years as a pro this is the first real garden of my very
own.
The brief from my wife was simple - Flowers, then more flowers and
more again.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sylvan4

I'm going to go away and have a good cry now.

--
Mike.

"Bob Hobden" wrote in
:



"Rod" wrote ...

Just uploaded some photos taken yesterday.
It's very much a work in progress - none of it is more than 18 months
old.
After 40 odd years as a pro this is the first real garden of my very
own.
The brief from my wife was simple - Flowers, then more flowers and
more again.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sylvan4

----------------------

After decades of putting up with my passion for the unusual in our
garden my wife also said could we please have pretty now. So I have to
be more careful about where I put the un-pretty. :-)


Stay indoors ;-)

Baz

On Apr 13, 11:10*pm, "Bob Hobden" wrote:
"Rod" *wrote ...

Just uploaded some photos taken yesterday.
It's very much a work in progress - none of it is more than 18 months
old.
After 40 odd years as a pro this is the first real garden of my very
own.
The brief from my wife was simple - Flowers, then more flowers and
more again.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sylvan4

----------------------

After decades of putting up with my passion for the unusual in our garden my
wife also said could we please have pretty now. So I have to be more careful
about where I put the un-pretty. *:-)

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
W.of London. UK

Thanks for all the kind comments everyone. I'm just basking
nicely :-))
I paricularly wanted Bob to see I haven't killed his orchids.
The auriculas are a new passion along with a few alpines (the rockery
isn't in any of those photos) During my working life I had to be
content on the whole with growing stuff more tolerant of rough and
ready care given the scale of the garden I was working on.
Janet - if they get big enough to divide, you'll be welcome to some.
(Have you seen how many varieties there are in the specialist
catalogues? and I want them all ;~))
I'd forgotten the earlier photos of the workshop were there, that
replaces the rotten old damp cold workshop at our former cottage that
we had to leave for major repairs and for new tenants to struggle
with. We are now in a more modern (1960s semi) with this garden
designed to decline gracefully with us.
Judith, don't get too envious of that sideboard - my wife had to wait
40 years for that and she's still waiting for her dressing table.
This woodworking arose from running woodburning stoves and constantly
finding pieces of wood that were too nice to burn. Also at work I was
running a range of Victorian greenhouses by Messengers of
Loughboroughand couldn't bear to watch them falling down so I spent
several winters working on those and learning some joinery along the
way.

Rod

"Rod" wrote ...

"Bob Hobden"wrote:
"Rod" wrote ...

Just uploaded some photos taken yesterday.
It's very much a work in progress - none of it is more than 18 months
old.
After 40 odd years as a pro this is the first real garden of my very
own.
The brief from my wife was simple - Flowers, then more flowers and
more again.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sylvan4

----------------------

After decades of putting up with my passion for the unusual in our garden
my
wife also said could we please have pretty now. So I have to be more
careful
about where I put the un-pretty. :-)

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
W.of London. UK

Thanks for all the kind comments everyone. I'm just basking
nicely :-))
I paricularly wanted Bob to see I haven't killed his orchids.
The auriculas are a new passion along with a few alpines (the rockery
isn't in any of those photos) During my working life I had to be
content on the whole with growing stuff more tolerant of rough and
ready care given the scale of the garden I was working on.
Janet - if they get big enough to divide, you'll be welcome to some.
(Have you seen how many varieties there are in the specialist
catalogues? and I want them all ;~))
I'd forgotten the earlier photos of the workshop were there, that
replaces the rotten old damp cold workshop at our former cottage that
we had to leave for major repairs and for new tenants to struggle
with. We are now in a more modern (1960s semi) with this garden
designed to decline gracefully with us.
Judith, don't get too envious of that sideboard - my wife had to wait
40 years for that and she's still waiting for her dressing table.
This woodworking arose from running woodburning stoves and constantly
finding pieces of wood that were too nice to burn. Also at work I was
running a range of Victorian greenhouses by Messengers of
Loughboroughand couldn't bear to watch them falling down so I spent
several winters working on those and learning some joinery along the
way.

...........................

Yes the Pleione formosana flower was noticed. :-) Did you get many
flowers?

Strange thing with mine this year, the species ones ( formosana) have not
flowered as well as usual (although one has thrown up an off white sport)
and neither have a couple of the hybrids (Shantung and Eiger) but one hybrid
( Tongariro) has gone berserk with most producing two flowers.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
W.of London. UK

Rod wrote:

Also at work I was
running a range of Victorian greenhouses by Messengers of
Loughborough and couldn't bear to watch them falling down so I spent
several winters working on those and learning some joinery along the
way.

Some years ago, when what had been the Messengers factory was
demolished, they found a pile of old catalogues abandoned in a
forgotten store room. They were sold off at 50p in the local WHS,
and they make fascinating reading. At the back they show some
actual installations, from conservatories to whole greenhouse
ranges, and list a whole lot more.

Really like your workshop.

Chris
--
Chris J Dixon Nottingham UK


Have dancing shoes, will ceilidh.

On Apr 15, 7:58*am, Chris J Dixon wrote:
Rod wrote:
Also at work I was
running a range of Victorian greenhouses by Messengers of
Loughborough and couldn't bear to watch them falling down so I spent
several winters working on those and learning some joinery along the
way.

Some years ago, when what had been the Messengers factory was
demolished, they found a pile of old catalogues abandoned in a
forgotten store room. They were sold off at 50p in the local WHS,
and they make fascinating reading. At the back they show some
actual installations, from conservatories to whole greenhouse
ranges, and list a whole lot more.

Really like your workshop.

Chris
--
Chris J Dixon *Nottingham UK


Have dancing shoes, will ceilidh.

Yes and that wasn't that long ago - in the 1970s I think when they
closed down. I have been told that a lot of their paperwork is in the
Leics county record office including the ledger entries relating to
our greenhouses in 1883/1886 iirc.

Rod

On Apr 14, 10:53*pm, "Bob Hobden" wrote:
"Rod" *wrote ...

"Bob Hobden"wrote:





"Rod" *wrote ...

Just uploaded some photos taken yesterday.
It's very much a work in progress - none of it is more than 18 months
old.
After 40 odd years as a pro this is the first real garden of my very
own.
The brief from my wife was simple - Flowers, then more flowers and
more again.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sylvan4

----------------------

After decades of putting up with my passion for the unusual in our garden
my
wife also said could we please have pretty now. So I have to be more
careful
about where I put the un-pretty. *:-)

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
W.of London. UK

Thanks for all the kind comments everyone. I'm just basking
nicely :-))
I paricularly wanted Bob to see I haven't killed his orchids.
The auriculas are a new passion along with a few alpines (the rockery
isn't in any of those photos) During my working life I had to be
content on the whole with growing stuff more tolerant of rough and
ready care given the scale of the garden I was working on.
Janet - if they get big enough to divide, you'll be welcome to some.
(Have you seen how many varieties there are in the specialist
catalogues? and I want them all ;~))
I'd forgotten the earlier photos of the workshop were there, that
replaces the rotten old damp cold workshop at our former cottage that
we had to leave for major repairs and for new tenants to struggle
with. We are now in a more modern (1960s semi) with this garden
designed to decline gracefully with us.
Judith, don't get too envious of that sideboard - my wife had to wait
40 years for that and she's still waiting for her dressing table.
This woodworking arose from running woodburning stoves and constantly
finding pieces of wood that were too nice to burn. Also at work I was
running a range of Victorian greenhouses by Messengers of
Loughboroughand couldn't bear to watch them falling down so I spent
several winters working on those and learning some joinery along the
way.

..........................

Yes the Pleione formosana flower was noticed. *:-) *Did you get many
flowers?

Strange thing with mine this year, the species ones ( formosana) have not
flowered as well as usual (although one has thrown up an off white sport)
and neither have a couple of the hybrids (Shantung and Eiger) but one hybrid
( Tongariro) has gone berserk with most producing two flowers.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
W.of London. UK- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

3 so far Bob - I'm not sure if the others will be flowers or just the
leaf. I'm just delighted to have got them through that frost. The
bulbs that survived were smooth purply ones as opposed to those with
rougher brown skins.

Rod

On 13/04/2011 20:00, Rod wrote:
Just uploaded some photos taken yesterday.
It's very much a work in progress - none of it is more than 18 months
old.
After 40 odd years as a pro this is the first real garden of my very
own.
The brief from my wife was simple - Flowers, then more flowers and
more again.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sylvan4

Rod


Amazingly beautiful! It's *just* the sort of garden I love, but
especially the Erythroniums. I lost mine last year, but you've inspired
me to have another go.

Your workshop and its products are astonishing. Excellent carpentry.
You're amazing!

Thank you for sharing your world with us.

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay

"Rod" wrote

"Bob Hobden" wrote
"Rod" wrote ...

Thanks for all the kind comments everyone. I'm just basking
nicely :-))
I paricularly wanted Bob to see I haven't killed his orchids.
The auriculas are a new passion along with a few alpines (the rockery
isn't in any of those photos) During my working life I had to be
content on the whole with growing stuff more tolerant of rough and
ready care given the scale of the garden I was working on.
Janet - if they get big enough to divide, you'll be welcome to some.
(Have you seen how many varieties there are in the specialist
catalogues? and I want them all ;~))
I'd forgotten the earlier photos of the workshop were there, that
replaces the rotten old damp cold workshop at our former cottage that
we had to leave for major repairs and for new tenants to struggle
with. We are now in a more modern (1960s semi) with this garden
designed to decline gracefully with us.
Judith, don't get too envious of that sideboard - my wife had to wait
40 years for that and she's still waiting for her dressing table.
This woodworking arose from running woodburning stoves and constantly
finding pieces of wood that were too nice to burn. Also at work I was
running a range of Victorian greenhouses by Messengers of
Loughboroughand couldn't bear to watch them falling down so I spent
several winters working on those and learning some joinery along the
way.

..........................

Yes the Pleione formosana flower was noticed. :-) Did you get many
flowers?

Strange thing with mine this year, the species ones ( formosana) have not
flowered as well as usual (although one has thrown up an off white sport)
and neither have a couple of the hybrids (Shantung and Eiger) but one
hybrid
( Tongariro) has gone berserk with most producing two flowers.


3 so far Bob - I'm not sure if the others will be flowers or just the
leaf. I'm just delighted to have got them through that frost. The
bulbs that survived were smooth purply ones as opposed to those with
rougher brown skins.

.....................................
The smooth purply pseudobulbs were ones that were buried under the mass of
plants and away from the light when I repotted so perhaps protected a
little. When they get too crowded some do get pushed down and it seems to
have been an advantage in this instance.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
W.of London. UK

On Apr 16, 2:38*pm, Sacha wrote:
On 2011-04-15 22:17:36 +0100, Spider said:





On 13/04/2011 20:00, Rod wrote:
Just uploaded some photos taken yesterday.
It's very much a work in progress - none of it is more than 18 months
old.
After 40 odd years as a pro this is the first real garden of my very
own.
The brief from my wife was simple - Flowers, then more flowers and
more again.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sylvan4

Rod

Amazingly beautiful! *It's *just* the sort of garden I love, but
especially the Erythroniums. *I lost mine last year, but you've
inspired me to have another go.

Your workshop and its products are astonishing. *Excellent carpentry.
You're amazing!

Thank you for sharing your world with us.

I love the 'dirty work bench'. *It looks like an immaculate kitchen -
what a fantastic environment for doing lovely work - that sideboard is
just beautiful.
--
Sachawww.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

The said 'dirty work bench' isn't dirty at all Sacha - it's for dirty
work like sharpening the chainsaw. It's a bit of old worktop with a
vice mounted that I lift onto the nice woodwork bench to do the dirty
stuff. A sort of compromise solution because woodwork and metalwork
don't mix very well.
We love bulbs as is patently obvious - I'm a particular sucker for the
small and dainty like the erythroniums and fritillaries and there
aren't enough daffodils in the world for my wife. We left a lot of the
later narcissi at the garden cottage (a retirement present from our
local garden centre) but I'll be going to recapture those later in the
summer because with the building work going on there they'll be
wrecked anyway. We'll soon have the climbing and shrub roses in flower
and before that the rhodos, azaleas and meconopsis. Mostly we've
avoided anything that will get tall except for a Magnolia obovata
seedling and a couple of young Rhododendron decorum that I got as seed
from the American Rhododendron Society and had been collected in
Yunnan - those 3 plants will dominate the furthest reaches of the
garden - hopefully in our lifetime.

Rod

On Apr 17, 10:10*am, Sacha wrote:
If you get down this way on a Thursday or Saturday, Keith Wiley's new
garden at Buckland Monachorum would delight you. *He loves Erythroniums
and has lots of them. Mind you, it's well worth a visit for all sorts
of other reasons, too! *http://www.wileyatwildside.com/4.html
He's the man who used to be the curator at The Garden House and his new
place is about a mile or so from there in the same lane.

--
Sachawww.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Hmm.............sounds like my kind of garden.
I'm not too sure about a 'New Naturalism movement' though , I wonder
what happened to the old one of William Robinson and the likes of Beth
Chatto?
All I'm doing is trying to create a nice place in which to keep
company with plants and to provide my wife with lots of colour - that
probably means more to her than pretty much anything else. More photos
soon when I've sorted through them - the same link as my previous post
should work for them.

Rod