On Wed, 9 Jun 2004 16:29:32 +0100, Kay
wrote:

Over adopted in the context of a country where for many months of the
year any fallen rain does not evaporate for a considerable time. If we
had heavy rain which dried quickly in hot sun, decking would be
admirable. Decking is not suitable where you have periods of drizzle
interrupted by periods of cloud.

I've read Brit lit since I was a tiny child, and eventually became
familiar with terms that define "two countries divided by a single
language," but it took forever to figure out "airing cupboard." It's a
little easier to imagine now that I live in an area where (usually)
frequent rain and high summertime humidity are factors, but I grew up
in New Mexico which has practically none of either.

Given that decking is being
brought into prominence by many TV garden make-over shows which are
designed for people with no experience of outdoor design, it is well
worth putting the opposite view, and suggesting that they should think
of the practicalities.

Suppose in the southern US you were being deluged by TV shows suggesting
instant makeovers involving laying nice green turf, and you had a steady
stream of people wandering into rec.gardening asking where to get the
cheapest turf, wouldn't you feel inclined to probe the reasons for their
choice and mention words like 'watering'?

Surely no one can be naive enough to think that putting down turf is
an instant fix requiring no follow-up care. Well, perhaps *some* can.
:-) The quarrel *I* had with 'Ground Force' was the introduction of
blooming plants for a pretty TV episode conclusion. I would *love* to
see a "1-2 Years Later" feature on some of these transformations.

Still, "makeover" programs are more like fairy tales than reality.
They illustrate principles and suggest ideas, and can hardly detail
the care and habits of each plant in 30 minutes.

In article , Frogleg
writes
On 9 Jun 2004 11:42:07 GMT, (Nick Maclaren) wrote:

Frogleg writes:
|
| I'm familiar with (some of) your climate. Interestingly enough, I
| looked up average annual rainfall figures for Norfolk, VA and Norfolk,
| UK. Virginia: 44inches. UK: 23 inches. Of course that doesn't tell the
| whole story, but believe me, I've experience with mildew, moss, and
| mud. :-)

Now look up the evaporation in winter. I should be surprised if
you have less than ten times ours even in places like Cambridge
and Norfolk - yes, really.


"Seattle has a well-deserved wet and rainy reputation, perpetuated
not least by the self-depreciating humor of its citizens. It is a
pertinent point that the 36 inches of annual rainfall received by
Seattle each year is less than the annual rainfall of places like New
York. It is just that the rain comes down over a longer period--often
precipitating as a slow drizzle, begrudgingly deposited by low lying
clouds that seem to hang around far longer than necessary to get the
job done.

So it's not the rain, but the *manner* of the rain. I included the 2nd
paragraph because I read many similar descriptions of/from the UK.

Yep - we have the best of all worlds - drizzle, *and* up to 70 inches
;-)
It goes back to what Nick was saying about evaporation - we have
relatively high humidity (not high compared with, say, Vanuatu, but high
compared with the Med) so between Oct and April everything stays damp,
and those of us who find heat difficult find it particularly so because
it's hot and muggy.

I only chose Norfolk because it was a handy name comparison. Had no
clue yours was one of the drier areas.

Try the US version of, say, Manchester.
--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

In article , Frogleg
writes
On Wed, 9 Jun 2004 16:29:32 +0100, Kay
wrote:

Over adopted in the context of a country where for many months of the
year any fallen rain does not evaporate for a considerable time. If we
had heavy rain which dried quickly in hot sun, decking would be
admirable. Decking is not suitable where you have periods of drizzle
interrupted by periods of cloud.

I've read Brit lit since I was a tiny child, and eventually became
familiar with terms that define "two countries divided by a single
language," but it took forever to figure out "airing cupboard."

Moving from the relatively dry SE to more northerly and wetter
Yorkshire, one of the things that struck me about house hunting is how
all the owners proudly showed off their airing cupboards built around
giant sized central heating boilers ;-)

I'm sure ironing developed, not as a cosmetic thing, but as the only way
most of the year to completely dry clothes that had been hanging on a
line outside.


The quarrel *I* had with 'Ground Force' was the introduction of
blooming plants for a pretty TV episode conclusion. I would *love* to
see a "1-2 Years Later" feature on some of these transformations.

They did some 'a few months later' programmes. But not on all of them. I
wonder if they only showed those that had survived?

Still, "makeover" programs are more like fairy tales than reality.
They illustrate principles and suggest ideas, and can hardly detail
the care and habits of each plant in 30 minutes.

They're great for ideas (and I was thinking yesterday how much more
interesting gardens in our town have become over the last few years).
But the down side is that they suggest gardening is an instant thing,
like repainting a room. Not only does this lead to disappointment when
it gets overgrown and unkempt, but it also misses out on a very positive
side of gardening, which is watching things develop over the years.

--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

In article . 20,
Victoria Clare writes
And yet, we make other things for wet environments from wood. Duckboards
for punts and dinghies, for example. I would commend fine sand mixed into
some varnish or stain to that deck owner: it worked for my Mirror dinghy!

My lawns are pretty damn slippery when wet - and my lawn isn't flat, so
it's easier to fall off of. It has plenty of nice boulders to bang your
elbow on too.

I'm sure decking can be badly designed/implemented, but so can most things.

That's very true. But decking is being featured heavily atm, so is being
used by people who haven't thought through the design and implementation
- that's where the problem lies.
--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

The message
from Janet Baraclough contains these words:

Fort William is even wetter.

The inhabitants have webbed extremities.....

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

In article , Jaques d'Alltrades writes:
| The message
| from Janet Baraclough contains these words:
|
| Fort William is even wetter.
|
| The inhabitants have webbed extremities.....

We Maclarens come from further east, but still have seals in our
ancestry.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Kay wrote in
:

In article . 20,
Victoria Clare writes

I'm sure decking can be badly designed/implemented, but so can most
things.

That's very true. But decking is being featured heavily atm, so is
being used by people who haven't thought through the design and
implementation - that's where the problem lies.

Of course - highlighting where problems can arise is always useful.

I just felt that if people are getting the idea that in the UK we 'don't
do decking', things are getting a bit one-sided!

Victoria
--
gardening on a north-facing hill
in South-East Cornwall
--

On Thu, 10 Jun 2004 10:42:34 +0100, Kay
wrote:

In article , Frogleg
writes
On Wed, 9 Jun 2004 16:29:32 +0100, Kay
wrote:

Over adopted in the context of a country where for many months of the
year any fallen rain does not evaporate for a considerable time. If we
had heavy rain which dried quickly in hot sun, decking would be
admirable. Decking is not suitable where you have periods of drizzle
interrupted by periods of cloud.

I've read Brit lit since I was a tiny child, and eventually became
familiar with terms that define "two countries divided by a single
language," but it took forever to figure out "airing cupboard."

Moving from the relatively dry SE to more northerly and wetter
Yorkshire, one of the things that struck me about house hunting is how
all the owners proudly showed off their airing cupboards built around
giant sized central heating boilers ;-)

but the NE is also relatively dry compared to the NW and SW.

The airing cupboards in the NE are no smaller or bigger than in wet
South Wales and the supposedly dry SE.

On Thu, 10 Jun 2004 12:11:37 +0100, Jaques d'Alltrades
wrote:

The message
from Janet Baraclough contains these words:

Fort William is even wetter.

The inhabitants have webbed extremities.....

.... and drip dry skin.

On Thu, 10 Jun 2004 10:42:34 +0100, Kay
wrote:

Frogleg writes

The quarrel *I* had with 'Ground Force' was the introduction of
blooming plants for a pretty TV episode conclusion. I would *love* to
see a "1-2 Years Later" feature on some of these transformations.

They did some 'a few months later' programmes. But not on all of them. I
wonder if they only showed those that had survived?

Those haven't been shown on BBCAmerica, AFAIK. I'll watch for them.

Still, "makeover" programs are more like fairy tales than reality.
They illustrate principles and suggest ideas, and can hardly detail
the care and habits of each plant in 30 minutes.

They're great for ideas (and I was thinking yesterday how much more
interesting gardens in our town have become over the last few years).
But the down side is that they suggest gardening is an instant thing,
like repainting a room. Not only does this lead to disappointment when
it gets overgrown and unkempt, but it also misses out on a very positive
side of gardening, which is watching things develop over the years.

OTOH, I find them inspirational in showing what can be done in a
relatively short time with solid, concentrated work. I tend to do a
little bit and then stand around admiring. And promisie myself I'll
Keep Up with regular maintenance, which never seems to happen.

It is true that Transformations don't last. Weeds grow through mulch;
plants need to be pruned and trimmed; annuals must be renewed. "Low
maintenance" is a relative term, indeed. :-)