"Sacha" wrote in message
.. .
Janet Baraclough ..9/1/04 12:32
.uk

The message
from Kay Easton contains these words:
snip
My garden is one of the largest in the town (I'm not sure there are any
which are larger) and extends the whole length of the adjoining street,
and yet is only one fifth of an acre.

(Cringe) Having moved from 3+ acres to a half acre, I keep hearing
myself telling people "we've only got a small garden".

Janet.

I think what you're supposed to say nowadays, Janet is "we've downsized".
;-)
Sacha

When can we expect new pictures of the garden Janet ????
Jenny

On Fri, 9 Jan 2004 21:17:15 +0100, "JennyC" wrote:

Pffffff !
You want to come over here to Holland - the majority of gardens are postage
stamp size :~(

It really annoys me when they do "small garden" programmes on TV or
articles in magazines. They are always far bigger than mine. Mine is
15 feet by 27 feet (yes feet) plus half that at the front.

Pam in Bristol

On Fri, 9 Jan 2004 21:17:15 +0100, "JennyC" wrote:

Pffffff !
You want to come over here to Holland - the majority of gardens are postage
stamp size :~(

It really annoys me when they do "small garden" programmes on TV or
articles in magazines. They are always far bigger than mine. Mine is
15 feet by 27 feet (yes feet) plus half that at the front.

Pam in Bristol

On Fri, 9 Jan 2004 21:17:15 +0100, "JennyC" wrote:

Pffffff !
You want to come over here to Holland - the majority of gardens are postage
stamp size :~(

It really annoys me when they do "small garden" programmes on TV or
articles in magazines. They are always far bigger than mine. Mine is
15 feet by 27 feet (yes feet) plus half that at the front.

Pam in Bristol

JennyC9/1/04 8:17


"Sacha" wrote
That's my point. I don't know what the average garden size is in this
country but apparently both gardens and houses have been getting
considerably smaller since the last war. Perceptions have changed
accordingly, I imagine.
Sacha

Pffffff !
You want to come over here to Holland - the majority of gardens are postage
stamp size :~(

A 'small;' garden in England seems huge to me :~)
Jenny

We've both just read Roy Strong's book about his own garden "The Lasket" and
he is immensely complimentary about the Dutch and what they do with their
tiny gardens. Small IS beautiful! ;-)
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the 'x' to email me)

"Pam Moore" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 9 Jan 2004 21:17:15 +0100, "JennyC" wrote:

Pffffff !
You want to come over here to Holland - the majority of gardens are postage
stamp size :~(

It really annoys me when they do "small garden" programmes on TV or
articles in magazines. They are always far bigger than mine. Mine is
15 feet by 27 feet (yes feet) plus half that at the front.
Pam in Bristol

Exactly !!
My back garden is 18ft by 24ft
I do have the same size roof garden and a strip out the front, so maybe I should
not complain ?
Jenny
http://members.rott.chello.nl/ldejag...ex.welcome.htm

"Sacha" wrote

"Sacha" wrote
That's my point. I don't know what the average garden size is in this
country but apparently both gardens and houses have been getting
considerably smaller since the last war. Perceptions have changed
accordingly, I imagine.
Sacha

Pffffff !
You want to come over here to Holland - the majority of gardens are postage
stamp size :~(

A 'small;' garden in England seems huge to me :~)
Jenny

We've both just read Roy Strong's book about his own garden "The Lasket" and
he is immensely complimentary about the Dutch and what they do with their
tiny gardens. Small IS beautiful! ;-)
Sacha

I don't know if you mean now or in the past, but I must say that on average the
'regular' Dutch garden is probably better laid out and looked after than the
average British one !! (ducking down to avoid flames)

This is due to the very cheap prices of plants here. 'Normal' people in Holland
do not really garden as the British do. They don't have to grow seeds or take
cuttings as things are so readily available for next to nothing. They just go
out and buy and instant garden down the garden centre.

The British excel in really good specialist gardens but I am always disheartened
when I go down roads in UK towns where there might be only one 'proper' garden
in the whole street.

Jenny

On Fri, 09 Jan 2004 22:46:15 +0000, Sacha
wrote:

We've both just read Roy Strong's book about his own garden "The Lasket" and
he is immensely complimentary about the Dutch and what they do with their
tiny gardens. Small IS beautiful! ;-)

A look at Jenny's web site will back this up!!

Pam in Bristol

On Sat, 10 Jan 2004 08:50:56 +0100, "JennyC" wrote:


"Sacha" wrote

"Sacha" wrote
That's my point. I don't know what the average garden size is in this
country but apparently both gardens and houses have been getting
considerably smaller since the last war. Perceptions have changed
accordingly, I imagine.
Sacha

Pffffff !
You want to come over here to Holland - the majority of gardens are postage
stamp size :~(

A 'small;' garden in England seems huge to me :~)
Jenny

We've both just read Roy Strong's book about his own garden "The Lasket" and
he is immensely complimentary about the Dutch and what they do with their
tiny gardens. Small IS beautiful! ;-)
Sacha

I don't know if you mean now or in the past, but I must say that on average the
'regular' Dutch garden is probably better laid out and looked after than the
average British one !! (ducking down to avoid flames)

A lot of them are done by garden centre gardeners and not the owners,
and a lot of the gardens are only skin deep. A garden centre man turns
up puts a thin layer of soil over the weeds inserts garden centre
plants and departs. A few weeks later the plants are dead and weeds
are abundant.
Considering how cheap one can buy bulbs in the Bollenstreek, and how
small the gardens are, surprisingly few Dutch gardens have a good
display of bulbs in spring.


This is due to the very cheap prices of plants here. 'Normal' people in Holland
do not really garden as the British do. They don't have to grow seeds or take
cuttings as things are so readily available for next to nothing. They just go
out and buy and instant garden down the garden centre.

The British excel in really good specialist gardens but I am always disheartened
when I go down roads in UK towns where there might be only one 'proper' garden
in the whole street.

Despite which we can spot the houses belonging to British expatriates,
they are the ones with the best gardens. the ones belonging to
Italians are the worst. In Italy most private gardens are sad too.

Mini-Keukenhof owner of one of the only proper gardens in our street
in NL
--
Martin

"Pam Moore" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 09 Jan 2004 22:46:15 +0000, Sacha
wrote:

We've both just read Roy Strong's book about his own garden "The Lasket" and
he is immensely complimentary about the Dutch and what they do with their
tiny gardens. Small IS beautiful! ;-)

A look at Jenny's web site will back this up!!

Pam in Bristol

Flattery will get you EVERYWHERE "~))
Jenny

On Sat, 10 Jan 2004 14:20:40 +0100, "JennyC" wrote:


"Pam Moore" wrote in message
.. .
On Fri, 09 Jan 2004 22:46:15 +0000, Sacha
wrote:

We've both just read Roy Strong's book about his own garden "The Lasket" and
he is immensely complimentary about the Dutch and what they do with their
tiny gardens. Small IS beautiful! ;-)

A look at Jenny's web site will back this up!!

Pam in Bristol

Flattery will get you EVERYWHERE "~))

We know all your weaknesses :-)
--
Martin

On Sat, 10 Jan 2004 08:50:56 +0100, JennyC wrote:

"Sacha" wrote

We've both just read Roy Strong's book about his own garden "The Lasket" and
he is immensely complimentary about the Dutch and what they do with their
tiny gardens. Small IS beautiful! ;-)

I don't know if you mean now or in the past, but I must say that on average the
'regular' Dutch garden is probably better laid out and looked after than the
average British one !! (ducking down to avoid flames)

Small really is better. In a small garden, you don't have room
for anything less than the best plants, and the sheer size makes
it much easier to maintain to a high standard. In a way, I look
forward to the day when I have a postage stamp garden instead of
the rather spacious place I have today, where parts are always a
mess and there are too many so-so plants taking up room.

This is due to the very cheap prices of plants here. 'Normal' people in Holland
do not really garden as the British do. They don't have to grow seeds or take
cuttings as things are so readily available for next to nothing. They just go
out and buy and instant garden down the garden centre.

The British excel in really good specialist gardens but I am always disheartened
when I go down roads in UK towns where there might be only one 'proper' garden
in the whole street.

Victoria, British Columbia, whence my ravings emanate, has long
been known as "the city of gardens." Over the years, the size of
the average in-town garden has shrunk: lot sizes have gotten
smaller through re-subdivision, and houses & garages have gotten
larger. Yet the epithet still has a grain of truth in it. I
vividly remember returning from a summer trip to Seattle once,
and noticing on my return home that nearly every house in
Victoria has *something* in the way of flowers, even if it was
jut a pot of red geraniums on the front steps.

Hardly a "proper garden", I suppose, but much, much better than
nothing at all.

The gardening here is also quite un-selfconscious. People garden
for their own pleasure without much thought for what the rest of
the world will say or think; by way of contrast, in Seattle one
has the sense that what publicly visible gardening one sees is
often very self-conscious, "look at me, look at me!" This may be
unfair to the Seattleites, but that's the impression one has.
--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
[change "atlantic" to "pacific" and
"invalid" to "net" to reply by email]

"Rodger Whitlock" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 10 Jan 2004 08:50:56 +0100, JennyC wrote:

Small really is better. In a small garden, you don't have room
for anything less than the best plants, and the sheer size makes
it much easier to maintain to a high standard. In a way, I look
forward to the day when I have a postage stamp garden instead of
the rather spacious place I have today, where parts are always a
mess and there are too many so-so plants taking up room.

You may be right, but small gardens can sometimes get too tidy and tailored.

Victoria, British Columbia, whence my ravings emanate, has long
been known as "the city of gardens."

I know !! Lovely gardens all over the place.
I always recomend going to live in Victoria to ex-pats who want a Britsh type
atmosphere but don't want to go back to britain !

The gardening here is also quite un-selfconscious. People garden
for their own pleasure without much thought for what the rest of
the world will say or think

Indeed. It's very noticabel when you drive about the city.
Jenny

In article , Sacha
writes

Makes me think of the Gertrude Jekyll 'joke' that gets recycled here every
so often: "no matter how small your garden, always set aside an acre for
woodland". ;-)


I've got 'The new Small Garden' by C.E. Lucas-Phillips, published in
1979.
He says no garden should 'omit fruit' and then says that the first thing
to plan when planning a small garden is to decided where you will put
"greenhouse and frames, the tool-shed, compost bins, bonfire and perhaps
chicken house"
He obviously never envisaged some of the gardens that people round here
find acceptable AND pay good money for!!

janet
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

In article , Kay Easton
writes

Most people in this country think of one third of an acre as large!!!!


Which is why, when you are looking for a bungalow and large garden you
get sent details of homes with a garden of less than 100 foot long with
the words 'huge garden' or similar in the details!
As I've said before, one estate agent told me I didn't want a garden I
wanted 'land'

Janet
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk