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caliwag

A blog by caliwag in General

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Two Gardeners

caliwag

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I mention in an earlier blog the desirability of considering the outdoor spaces and gardens at the same time as the house design.

 

Circulation and spatial thinking are very similar to the house layout. Making decisions about entrances and thresholds, capitalising on views and vistas, (to say nothing of orientation and overlooking/shadowing...See Survey blog) sitting places in morning and evening sun as well as dappling if you cannot stand direct sun! It's a good idea to list activities and needs just as you would for the home. In general the garden changes, both with the seasons and plant growth more quickly than the home.

 

I say this because I was recently alerted (via the excellent Garden Illustrated magazine) to two approaches to garden structure and use. Admittedly one is more urban, three dimensional and controlled than the other., but they are at opposite ends of a wide garden design spectrum, yet both gardeners impress and are not creating sculptural 'do not use' gardens.

 

It is interesting that there are hundreds of garden design and planting magazines out there, all by and large playing with the same palettes (a bit like Western music...How many variations with just 12 notes?) yet very few true house design books. Those that exist tend to veer into construction issues. 

 

I am not posting images as there are quite a few websites on these two, but please take a look at Luciano Giubbilei and Beth Chatto. Luciano has a rigorously strict palette and Beth, as a delightful explorer of rare plants and ones for hostile environments, seem to employ everything available. Both have won Chelsea Flower Show prizes. Remember ABEBooks.co.uk for copious source material

 

Explore, plant and enjoy!

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Lesgrandepotato

I do very much enjoy your Blog posts Caliwag, but I do sometimes struggle to understand what you are leading me to think about. Perhaps your writing style would benefit from a lead in paragraph and a summary back at the end? 

 

The old Tell what you are going to tell them, 

Tell them, 

Tell them what you told them ?

 

Looking forward to the next episode - I'll respond more on the above in the coming weeks. I have a plan for a cottage garden that respects the area with a soft outline from the lane, but then taking on a more formalised and perhaps slightly japanese feeling garden facing the front glazed elevation when you reach a given view point.

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caliwag

Point taken and hopefully lesson understood! Cheers...I suppose I understand, as many of these issues have been bubbling around, in the back of the mind for a while in varying forms! I expect some of my students thought I was a right blawearie...God here he goes again! Thanks LGP. Look forward to the cottage garden project.

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caliwag

Mmm...Mathematically no doubt you are correct, but I feel that in the Rock World it seems way less...Right I'll stop digging!

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caliwag

Haha...thank you...most interesting. I guess the jazz horn player could find a few more thousand notes to the total with his quarter tones and bent notes...err do bent notes count?

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