Having said I like the chaos of nature,I do have to mow my lawn and love the way it looks after a fresh cut.So yes a degree of neatness is required in the right place.
Plants I like to allow freedom to grow,flower,seed etc within reason. My Rosemary bushes need pruning after flowering but I'm glad I hung on cos there was a small flock of Goldfinches sitting in it yesterday no doubt eating the seeds
I think you are what would be described by a designer as a 'plants person'. Though I love certain plants and choose a plant because I like it I don't then place that plant in the garden just where it will grow best. I will often place a plant in a place where I will enjoy it, though it won't be where it will grow best. A plant in a garden for me is like a blob of paint on an artist palette and I will use that blob to create a picture, a story.
There's a distinction between a garden and an botanical garden which is simply a collection of specimens.
I think a garden should be an expression of the gardener. Now if that means a collection of plants as in a museum then so be it. What is wrong with that? Nothing, if that's what it is you want. Another good analogy for me to describe how it is from my perspective is to say plants are like words to the poet. Now one of my favourite words is saddle. Don't ask me why, I just like the sound of it. Saddle. Other words I like are 'Tuesday', Hemp, brick, cardigan, cellar, indistinguishable, bedraggle, spittle and crack. They're great words but I think you would get some pretty odd looks if you were to present that as a list, out of the blue, without any explanation and I don't think anyone would say it was 'Art'. I think to make that Art and it could though I don't think very good Art, it would need to be presented as such. We're getting into 'what is Art'. Which is a huge subject. Does your garden have to be 'Art'. I think so. I often remind myself not to forget the garden, in 'Wildlife Garden'. Does a garden have to Neat? No, Does Art have to be neat? Absolutely not!. You only need take Tracey Emin's, or not, 'My Bed', or Chris Ofili's Turner Prize winning 1998 Elephant dung. Is it neat? No, is it Art? Yes, Is it Aesthetic? Mmmm, I'm not sure but does it have to be? I don't think so. It should be only whatever you want it to be, it should say whatever it is you want it to say. Sod everyone else!!! Really! Why would you care? It's your garden, or it's my garden and I really don't care that the mother in law thinks it's a 'lazy persons' garden. Really? You want to try managing it if you think that's what's going on, anyway I digress….
Mrs Garden I agree with you. Our front garden is a chore really. It doesn't have much scope as it is a drive built on 2 foot of fused iron ore. So a few pots really, and some weeds, and some half finished projects. I spend all my spare time out at the back, which is where we enjoy the garden. The front is just the coming in and out bit, and although it is one's face on the world, I think I don't really care what other people think that much. I just garden for us. But occasionally I do feel a bit embarrassed about it.
i look at my garden-or gardens- as a series of big pictures that contain a multitude of small pictures. people-particularly nongardners look at the big picture and say beautiful but it is the small pictures that usually have the most interest. i usually dont plant a lot of the same thing because i find interest wanes fairly swiftly. i understand what rosarians and hosta freaks are about but im not sure they are gardening in the sense that i think most of us mean the words. as for plant placement i just noticed the astilbe sinensis has picked up and moved two feet further into the shade-it really is hard to argue with ma nature.
Gardening is such a personal thing I find. My garden, which is being re constructed, has a tad of order, but as many have said, it's not a show garden. I like plants and as such, if I like it I find a place for it, even if it doesn't conform to the colour wheel or the stricture's of the gardening guru's bibles. Semi organised chaos is nature's way and who am I to impose order on it. If it looks good to me then that's how I like it. Everyone is different, OH is highly organised, I go with the flow. Even on the allotment, where order is often recommended, mine ain't! We all love what we do and as long as I can see beauty in it ( and OH is happy), then I'm happy.
I like my garden to make me feel happy. I like to wander round smelling and touching the flowers and feeling my heart swell because of their beauty. I don't mind untidy borders because everything is swaying and billowing, but I don't really want weeds like big thistles growing in them. If OH keeps the lawns mown, which he enjoys, then it generally looks OK.
Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
Posts
Having said I like the chaos of nature,I do have to mow my lawn and love the way it looks after a fresh cut.So yes a degree of neatness is required in the right place.
Plants I like to allow freedom to grow,flower,seed etc within reason. My Rosemary bushes need pruning after flowering but I'm glad I hung on cos there was a small flock of Goldfinches sitting in it yesterday no doubt eating the seeds
HI Verdun,
I think you are what would be described by a designer as a 'plants person'. Though I love certain plants and choose a plant because I like it I don't then place that plant in the garden just where it will grow best. I will often place a plant in a place where I will enjoy it, though it won't be where it will grow best. A plant in a garden for me is like a blob of paint on an artist palette and I will use that blob to create a picture, a story.
There's a distinction between a garden and an botanical garden which is simply a collection of specimens.
I think a garden should be an expression of the gardener. Now if that means a collection of plants as in a museum then so be it. What is wrong with that? Nothing, if that's what it is you want. Another good analogy for me to describe how it is from my perspective is to say plants are like words to the poet. Now one of my favourite words is saddle. Don't ask me why, I just like the sound of it. Saddle. Other words I like are 'Tuesday', Hemp, brick, cardigan, cellar, indistinguishable, bedraggle, spittle and crack. They're great words but I think you would get some pretty odd looks if you were to present that as a list, out of the blue, without any explanation and I don't think anyone would say it was 'Art'. I think to make that Art and it could though I don't think very good Art, it would need to be presented as such. We're getting into 'what is Art'. Which is a huge subject. Does your garden have to be 'Art'. I think so. I often remind myself not to forget the garden, in 'Wildlife Garden'. Does a garden have to Neat? No, Does Art have to be neat? Absolutely not!. You only need take Tracey Emin's, or not, 'My Bed', or Chris Ofili's Turner Prize winning 1998 Elephant dung. Is it neat? No, is it Art? Yes, Is it Aesthetic? Mmmm, I'm not sure but does it have to be? I don't think so. It should be only whatever you want it to be, it should say whatever it is you want it to say. Sod everyone else!!! Really! Why would you care? It's your garden, or it's my garden and I really don't care that the mother in law thinks it's a 'lazy persons' garden. Really? You want to try managing it if you think that's what's going on, anyway I digress….
É, esatto!
My garden is like me and my head, bit disorganised and messy
But I love it. I def don't do neat 
I've just been for a walk round in the rain. no neatness to be seen, lots of weeds and totally lovely.
Sounds like my sort of garden Panda
In the sticks near Peterborough
Mrs Garden I agree with you. Our front garden is a chore really. It doesn't have much scope as it is a drive built on 2 foot of fused iron ore. So a few pots really, and some weeds, and some half finished projects. I spend all my spare time out at the back, which is where we enjoy the garden. The front is just the coming in and out bit, and although it is one's face on the world, I think I don't really care what other people think that much. I just garden for us. But occasionally I do feel a bit embarrassed about it.
i look at my garden-or gardens- as a series of big pictures that contain a multitude of small pictures. people-particularly nongardners look at the big picture and say beautiful but it is the small pictures that usually have the most interest. i usually dont plant a lot of the same thing because i find interest wanes fairly swiftly. i understand what rosarians and hosta freaks are about but im not sure they are gardening in the sense that i think most of us mean the words. as for plant placement i just noticed the astilbe sinensis has picked up and moved two feet further into the shade-it really is hard to argue with ma nature.
Gardening is such a personal thing I find. My garden, which is being re constructed, has a tad of order, but as many have said, it's not a show garden. I like plants and as such, if I like it I find a place for it, even if it doesn't conform to the colour wheel or the stricture's of the gardening guru's bibles. Semi organised chaos is nature's way and who am I to impose order on it. If it looks good to me then that's how I like it. Everyone is different, OH is highly organised, I go with the flow. Even on the allotment, where order is often recommended, mine ain't! We all love what we do and as long as I can see beauty in it ( and OH is happy), then I'm happy.
I like my garden to make me feel happy. I like to wander round smelling and touching the flowers and feeling my heart swell because of their beauty. I don't mind untidy borders because everything is swaying and billowing, but I don't really want weeds like big thistles growing in them. If OH keeps the lawns mown, which he enjoys, then it generally looks OK.