Thursday 23 July 2015

Garden Design à la Cro.



I'm basically a vegetable gardener; not a flower gardener. But I do like my non-vegetable garden to be reasonably attractive.

To me foliage is more important than flowers. Simplicity is more important than 'busy'. A garden should hold surprises.

One single well-positioned pot says far more than a dozen in the wrong place. My garden has no place for anything 'white'.

Contrast is essential. A perfectly clipped shrub sits comfortably besides a chaotic mix of cottage flowers.


There must be areas of shade, areas of sun, and areas for play. There must be grass, but not so much that it becomes overly time-consuming. There should be trees of all sizes, from huge to tiny. There must be fruit trees, foliage trees, and shade trees. There must also be a vegetable garden; however large, small, or productive.

In a perfect world there would be naturally moving water (sadly I have to make-do with the pool), and there would be an abundance of wild life.

There also has to be a washing line. No garden is complete without a bloody washing line, however ugly it may seem.

And under the category of 'Ain't Nature Wonderful', I like to leave certain wild plants in peace, such as the one below.


That's it; Cro's essential garden.




19 comments:

  1. The pictures of your garden are lovely .

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  2. My perfectly positioned washing line is the only feature I added to the garden when I moved in here. The wild flowers and thistles sit nicely with the roses.

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    1. Tony Hancock lived in my native Surrey village. When he moved into his new home he popped round to see his new neighbours (they imagined he'd come round to introduce himself) and told them to remove their washing line, as he could see it from his sitting room. They in return told him to eff-off.

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  3. A traditional Hills Hoist is a thing of beauty. It can double as picnic shade when covered.

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    1. I was think more along the lines of 100 yards of plastic covered rope, propped-up by several pieces of forked hazel. We've never owned anything more technical.

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  4. With washing snapping in the breeze...

    Most of my gardening is done in galvanised containers these days, both vegetable and flower.

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    1. I've just come past our washing line. We have our 15 month old grandson with us, so his tiny clothes were 'snapping in the breeze'. Nice.

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  5. I like your philosophy of garden design. A perfect mix of all the essential elements!

    What kind of plant is that in the last photo?

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    1. I don't know what it's called, but I think it's poisonous.

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    2. It's called a 'Cuckoo-pint' here, for some reason.

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    3. You've reminded me; isn't it also called 'Lords and Ladies'?

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    4. Yes, you've reminded me about that too. Two baffling names for one plant.

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    5. Isn't it a deadly nightshade?

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    6. We call them torch lilies or red hot pokers here, and they're considered a safe plant. My Gran used to grow them and we girls used them as 'candles'.

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  6. Just lovely chez vous. The wildlife here decided some time last night that my small garden was an appetizer tray for them.

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  7. Looks lovely Cro. I imagine you walking around it all daily, looking at this and that and deadheading etc. Sometimes, the simplest things and the most rewarding.

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  8. The plant is Arum maculatum which has a dozen common names, it is poisonous so don't sprinkle any on your breakfast cereal.

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