For those at a loose end this weekend
http://www.gardenofwales.org.uk/

--
David Hill
Abacus nurseries
www.abacus-nurseries.co.uk
***2004 catalogue now available***

On Tue, 16 Dec 2003 21:33:37 -0000, "David Hill"
wrote:

~"................And leads to the next obvious and rhetorical question - why
~didn't they build the garden by a main transport/rail route?
~(answers on a postcard to /dev/null :-) ............"
~
~Like they did with the Eden Project?
~
~Regarding Middleton(Look for Middleton on Google and the gardens come a long
~way down the listings).
~
~It is set in the former 18th century regency park of Middleton Hall in
~Carmarthenshire, a 568 acre estate on the edge of the Tywi valley. The
~Garden enjoys a pollution free environment, spectacular views of the
~surrounding countryside and a rich cultural heritage.
~But I suppose to have it in the middle of an Industrial estate would have
~given it that something extra.......Like pollution and vandals.
~
I'm not doing too well in this thread !

I was actually thinking of Wisley when I wrote this bit. Bang by the A3/M25
junction (ok so the M25 wasn't there when it was first dug) but it doesn't
seem to suffer. The noise in Portsmouth Field can be a bit distracting, but
that section is the trials ground and not that many folk go there anyway.

And you can't shift for people most of the year.

Ryton's near the M6, if we want a fairly recently created example.

The one thing Ryton and Wisley have which poor Middleton doesn't is the
backing of a national society with 1000s of subscribers behind it. I rather
hope that the rescue plans involve some kind of partnership with one of
them, but I suspect that's hoping for way too much.

Can you imagine - a botanic garden which is totally organic? The walled
garden already is... dunno about the rest.

I think I'll pop a panoramic (stitched) photo of the walled garden up on my
website. It's quite spectacular, and I suspect if it'd been open at the
start, Middleton might be doing better.




--
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!

On Wed, 17 Dec 2003 08:12:49 +0000 (UTC),
(jane) wrote:

[...]
Can you imagine - a botanic garden which is totally organic? The walled
garden already is... dunno about the rest.

That's one worry a couple of volunteers mentioned.

The Gardens currently have a strong organic philosophy, but what is to
stop Monsanto (for example) buying them up to reverse that message? Do
we want a national botanic garden (or even an ex-national botanic
garden) being used to push the message that GM crops and Roundup are
good for you?

I think I'll pop a panoramic (stitched) photo of the walled garden up on my
website. It's quite spectacular, and I suspect if it'd been open at the
start, Middleton might be doing better.

I gather that was the original plan. But Millenium money and the push
to have something dramatic (to the average punter, as well as to
hardened gardeners) got the Greenhouse pushed to the fore.

Maybe we could have a hadcore botanic garden to the left of the broad
walk (including the walled garden etc) subsidised by a commercial
garden-themed funpark to the right (including the glasshouse and so
on)?