On Thu, 13 Nov 2003 21:50:22 GMT, (Sally
Thompson) wrote:

~On Thu, 13 Nov 2003 12:08:33 +0000 (UTC),
(jane) wrote:
~
~snip
~
~I'm pretty well known to be a complete and utter klutz. I've ended up
~in minor injuries a few time for silly things like sticking a paring
~knife in my palm while trying to remove an avocado stone or falling
~over while standing on a flat road, totally sober and needing stitches
~in my elbow as a result.
~Himself says to people that I'm the only person he knows who can
~injure herself in an empty room.
~:-)
~
~I bet you've never broken your ankle falling off a door mat though,
~have you? (hangs head in shame). And yes, I was sober at the time.
~
OUCH

no, sprained them a few times by going over sideways while standing still.
Never quite managed an ankle break.

I have broken a bone in my foot running for a train, but that was thanks to
trying to take 2.5 steps at a time downwards. Needless to say I missed the
train.

Luckily my garden and I understand each other. I don't try to kill it, it
doesn't try to kill me.

(failing that, circuit breakers are handy :-)

Calamity

--
jane

Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone,
you may still exist but you have ceased to live.
Mark Twain

Please remove onmaps from replies, thanks!

Kay Easton wrote in message ...
In article , anton
writes

Kay Easton wrote in message ...
In article , anton
writes

Remember that a bigger garden should not look like 5 smaller
gardens next to one another.

Why not? That's roughly what Sissinghurst is like. And York gate?


In the context of the OP, i.e low maintenance gardening of a bigger garden
than she is used to, and from what remember
of seeing Sissinghurst (on TV only), I suggest that the
maintenance requirement of Sissinghurst is 'why not'. Borders?
Roses?

Compartments doesn't have to be borders and roses!

True, but- you suggested Sissinghurst.

I see no reason why
you shouldn't compartmentalise a garden and yet have a low maintenance
layout in each of those areas.


The act of dividing into compartments tends to increase
the maintenance requirement, unless the divider is a no-
maintenance brick wall. Of course the compartments
individually can be relatively high- or low- maintenance.
By the way, I haven't actually suggested that a large garden
shouldn't be divided or compartmentalised at all- just that it
shouldn't look like 5 small gardens next to one another.

But well filled borders of shrubs are not high maintenance, neither are
shrub roses.

Relative to what?

In the more general meaning, I'm happy to admit that it's only my
personal opinion that a bigger garden shouldn't look like 5
smaller ones. Gardens of any size can contain treasures, and
some of the most jewel-like can be on a very small scale, but in a bigger
garden you can aim at peace, seclusion and a sense of awe at what nature
can
achieve. I don't personally get any of that
from the 'rooms' that the garden designers would have us believe are the
best use of a big garden.

Yes - as you say, it is personal taste. Personally, I find myself rather
bored by huge lawns surrounded by curving borders, and much prefer a
journey of exploration

This is a straw man argument. You are pretending that the
only alternative to dividing a large garden into a series of rooms is a
'huge lawn surrounded by curving borders', and that the only way of
achieving a journey of exploration is by 'compartmentalising'. You can have
a journey of exploration
walking down a slightly-curving woodland track.

--
Anton

In article , anton
writes

Kay Easton wrote in message ...
In article , anton

I see no reason why
you shouldn't compartmentalise a garden and yet have a low maintenance
layout in each of those areas.


The act of dividing into compartments tends to increase
the maintenance requirement, unless the divider is a no-
maintenance brick wall.

or a low maintenance element

Of course the compartments
individually can be relatively high- or low- maintenance.
By the way, I haven't actually suggested that a large garden
shouldn't be divided or compartmentalised at all- just that it
shouldn't look like 5 small gardens next to one another.

But well filled borders of shrubs are not high maintenance, neither are
shrub roses.

Relative to what?

lawns, herbaceous, vegetables, bedding plants, scree garden


Yes - as you say, it is personal taste. Personally, I find myself rather
bored by huge lawns surrounded by curving borders, and much prefer a
journey of exploration

This is a straw man argument.

It wasn't meant as an argument. It was meant as an acceptance that our
tastes differ.
--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm