Garden rooms

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Oh boy, where do we start, Patty if nothing else you are going to have some fun with this, and a lot of hard work, first thing to do is make a drwing of your garden, its shape, lenght width all that, then put in the features that you have already and want or need to stay there, then just let you pencil and imagination go, draw what you see, how you see it, what you would like, doesnt matter if you cant draw, and it doesnt need to be drawn in a day, this your patch of paradise you are looking at, you will soon end up with a rough sketch, just work from that, add to it, or erase,try to work your sketch around the spot that you see your garden from the most, so you work it from a central view point, then pick a spot in your yard, not to big, but not to small, start on that, finnish it, move on to the next and so on, take you a while patty, and will be hard work, but each month you will start to see were you have been, and what you have done, build on it, and enjoy it, you have a host of friends here to give you advice, good luck patty,and have fun.

Ps, ask louisa, she has done this loads of times, qualifies as expert status now.

This message was edited Tuesday, Apr 24th 10:42 AM

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hi there

you should subscribe to the magazine English Gardens for inspiration.

would you like me to mail you a couple if I haven't binned them? If you do email me direct with your address

Mark

My garden is not as big as yours but it is pretty new, so i have just started on parts of my garden so that in time they will all join together. You are lucky to have so much garden, so good luck.I am sure you must have gardening programmes and magazines can give you a lot of inspiration.Swop you anytime.

Patty, I thought we had spoken of this at some point or maybe not. You are doing the right thing with your structures but then you have to tie them together. Plant hedges as you would erect walls, make hallways from one room to the next. Yew is excellent and takes clipping very well. Once the hedge has grown you can even 'cut' an open doorway through the hedge to create an archway to the next garden and so on. Yew is reputed to grow slowly, but not always so. There are many evergreen hedges that one can use. In some cases you may want a deciduous hedge. Beech retains its leaves over winter and drops them when the new growth appears in Spring. The use of "long" pergolas can also divide and unite parts of the garden. If you do a search for cottage gardens on the net I know you will come up with something. You are an artist. Just think of your garden as the canvas. You can do it! :-)

When it comes to gardening magazines, you have a distinct advantage over us in the states. I’ve always been impressed with the photographs in the English magazines. I particularly love the pictures of the English countryside, and the fields bordered by hedges (or hedges rows). I understand some of these hedges are quite ancient.
The English magazines also seem to contain more information on the propagation of various plants. Most of the American magazines are superficial and supply little useful information. Exceptions are Fine Gardening and the old Organic Gardening magazines (when Robert Rodale was the editor).

hedgerows! what hedgerows!!

at the rate farmers are pulling out hedgerows there will be none left in a few years. I cant remember how many miles are being pulled out every year. Another thing thats going on is cutting hedges down to about 4 feet square which of no use to our wildlife.

Mark

Yes Mark, the hedge rows are gone here too, miles and miles of them ripped up for another three feet of land, bad news that is.

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Yes Patty I know what you are talking about. When I spoke of hedges and enclosures, I didn't mean 'completely' closed in. It is possible to have paths meandering in all directions. A colonial garden comes to mind. Have you ever been to Williamsburgh, VA? They have gorgeous gardens and functional also. The smoke houses and such were also incorporated into the whole garden scheme of things. Picket fences were used a lot and to great advantage providing division and somewhere for plants to lean against. The roses were lovely draped along the fences. Of course you have to think of your animals and with that in mind then a little research into hedging, trees etc that won't harm them would come in very useful. I know there are many poisonous plants and yew is certainly one of them. Gardening is such fun and how many times have we said that mostly it's a case of trial and error and that we learn by our mistakes. The artist doesn't normally get it right first time. Sketches come first and then the embellishment and final blaze of glory. By the way, do you have many trees in the vicinity of your garden? Trees and large shrubs are the bones of the garden as you know! If I can help you in any way ..........

Patty

postage is no problem for a fellow gardener.

Mark

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Patty, one thing that I have noticed when visiting Large Stately Homes. In the garden they use large objects such as Summerhouses, Urns, Ornaments at the end of a long path to draw your eye into the distance.

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If i think of anything else i'll let you know.