Fresh and Refresh

After having days and days of sunny and dry weather we finally had a good dose of rain again. Starting last Friday when it was pouring it down almost all day and night, and once again for most of Sunday. I have to say that such generous amounts of rain were rather welcome and gave us a respite from watering the garden on a regular basis.

The sun shone brightly last Saturday, in between a very wet Friday and Sunday

Plus you get a sense of freshness from the atmosphere. Nothing like rain to make everything look and smell fresh especially in the summer. It was nice to go out there briefly in between downpours to just breathe in the freshness in the air.

Speaking of freshness, a few people have commented to us recently that it's noticeable that we haven't been as out and about this year as much as we did in previous years. That's fine with us and it's deliberate.

In the blogosphere and in social media there are groups and prominent individuals out there in horticultural that are very active and who are constantly giving updates about plants and new gardening places/events to see. We too benefit from what they share even if it means just being aware although not actually visiting places or attending events. There's always the future to do them. A majority of these informative people are horticulturists by trade or profession.

We are horticulturists by heart as Sean Hogan of Cistus Nursery told us last year, a rather nice way of putting things to which we totally agree. We are professionals in other fields and plant related matters are dealt with only during spare or down time. It is a source of pleasure and leisure after work.

Work has been extra demanding this year, which ironically has made us appreciate our garden even more. Most of the time, rather than going to different places and events all over, it's just nice to stay where we are and enjoy the garden.

Otherwise, what's the point of creating the space that we have now if we don't enjoy staying in it as often as we could?

Plus, having been all to the same places and events several times previous years, things can get pretty repetitive. You get a sense of 'same same' and that's not always a good thing. So to freshen and refresh things up it's best to take a break from routines, be temporarily choosy in what and where we go to. And instead do other things or just simply stay and 'chillax' in the very heart of this blog - our garden.

And it's summer, a fabulous season to be lazy!

We were around but our friend Don did stay with us over the weekend

Even on those rainy days I'm glad we were mostly around and had the time to breathe in the freshness in the air. That feeling is wonderful, and no plant fair can substitute that.

Mark :-)

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Twitter Behaviour

Gardens of the World with Audrey Hepburn - a DVD containing all eight episodes of the programme that I received last Christmas based on the premise that since I like the actress and gardening I'm likely to enjoy it.

You know what, the gift giver was right, I really enjoyed it! Terribly dated of course complete with not so great cinematography however it was nice to see the lovely actress alive, looking elegant as ever, eloquent, and talking about gardens. She was entertaining to watch as she presented the show and was fascinating to get a glimpse of gardens in what is, or at least strangely now considered a bygone era (I feel old now but yes I acknowledge that 1990 is indeed a long time ago). I may or may not watch them again but while I did it was...loverly!

After watching the last episode, my phone buzzed a notification from Twitter. I checked it out then looked at the latest feeds and lo and behold I saw another unnecessary selfie (is it ever necessary?) from a notorious selfie poster. Harmless and usually easy enough to ignore but not the sort that one would think Audrey Hepburn would approve of. Which made me think further, if Audrey Hepburn were still alive or of relative youth in this era what would she think of social media, especially Twitter?

Audrey Hepburn - being the epitome of ultimate elegance and grace. The poster lady of style and class. The legend is probably much bigger than the truth but such a mystique is now likely to stay with her name and image for all eternity (which in turn makes her 'alive' forever).

Would she use Twitter, and what of her opinion on those that use it?

Let's talk Twitter Behaviour! And yes we have an account and we use it.

But first of all, how do we use it ourselves and what is our usual Twitter behaviour?

Mostly accessed on the train on our way to and from work, on our mobile phones, and at other times too of course especially when the need to 'fiddle with a gadget' arises.

There is an auto feed that puts up a tweet every time there is a new post on this blog and occasionally from our other photo only blog -Alternative Eden 365.

If our phone buzzes due to notification when we are tagged in conversations, or from a message we engage and respond as soon as we could.

Mostly used via our mobile phones, much less frequent via a desktop PC or a laptop unless when sharing photos which we occasionally find the time to do

There are days that we don't access it at all.

We're not very good at following stories and updates from people who use it very regularly due to periods that we don't use it all, plus the streaming of the feed is very quick and statuses can quickly disappear.

Although we tried during the early days to tweet random status updates (naively thinking that it is and should be the done thing) it is unlikely or rather infrequently that we do so now. Even rarer are posting of selfies.

When invoked we do enjoy interacting and engaging in conversations. Occasionally we even start it.

Twitter is a very powerful form of social media and seems to be going from strength to strength. Some people love it, and on the other end of the spectrum loathe and detest even the very idea of using it. 

It is a very useful tool to use to communicate and interact with others, almost like a telephone. But like a telephone it's all up to the owner how to use it, as often or as little, and how much to reveal and divulge about oneself to whoever is on the other end of the line, which can be thousands depending on the amount of followers.

Do we like it or loathe it? Neither. It is a tool, we use it when necessary and when impulse arises. A product of contemporary times. 

It is however the noisiest social media at the moment and going through the feed can often feel like wading through a vibrant and at the same time chaotic marketplace. But again it's up to the user when to shut out the noise and distance oneself for some refreshing solitude and peace.

We may not use it relatively as often as others but we have met and interacted with so many lovely people through it and fortunately have rarely encountered anything or anyone untoward. The thing that we appreciate most though is that it makes us very accessible. That we can be contacted and spoken to easily through it without having to divulge our numbers and personal details. A tag with a tweet and our phone buzzes!

Going back to Audrey Hepburn and Twitter behaviour, what is the connection between them both? A matter of elegance!

Twitter has a reputation for being a portal for heated conversations but what amuses, and occasionally bemuses is how some avid users can quickly lose guard and tweet out things that are...let's just say the sort that Ms. Hepburn (or at least her mystique) would not even think of doing. Yes, even the usually mild mannered and gentle plant crowd can slip up and tweet about things like: their divorce and bitter sentiments towards the other party, contraception choices and past STD's, intimate anatomical problems, family issues that are really best kept private, excrement and body fluids, the extreme obvious, ego massaging (certain book authors are notorious for this), the endless selfies even at times when dignity is compromised...

But there you go, that's free speech for you. Not elegant yes but generally harmless apart for ones reputation. And why should one care about what potentially Ms. Hepburn, the queen of elegance could think of it all anyway?

Because in reality I bet a lot do care, even if subconsciously. 

Just bear in mind that whatever you put out there reflects on you. And that what may be about being open, venting out and sharing a problem can quickly turn into an unsavoury personal association that lingers. What one may think as trendy and fun to do often can quickly be regarded as nothing more than just plain narcissism. And that what one may think as a good way to demonstrate sociability and popularity can end up highlighting loneliness instead.

Speaking of unsavoury association, I remember going to a party once and a friend pointed out to a guy in the crowd and said that he had a botched vasectomy. How did my friend know? From Twitter of course, from himself seeking sympathy then. Fair play but very silly. Fast forward a year later and with the same friend we bumped into a guy I didn't recognise at first, but was instantly reminded when my companion leaned and whispered to me 'The Botched Vasectomy Guy'... One of the reasons why elegant and careful Twitter behaviour does matter.

Back to Audrey Hepburn, will she personally use Twitter had if she is still alive today? She was very protective of her privacy then and kept away from the public as much as she could so probably not. Her PA will probably do on her behalf as well as her management firm, albeit very carefully. She might be coaxed to use Facebook though, albeit with a strictly curated group of friends only!

And I end this post by saying that I am chuffed that somehow I am able to tie in an old TV gardening programme presented by a legendary actress with the oh so now social media that is Twitter!

Mark :-)

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Wisdom from the Fallen Leaves

During the earlier years of cultivating our current garden the leaves that fell during the autumn used to annoy me. Sounds very strange I know but that was an era wherein being pristine and perfection were more of a priority than just simply enjoying the garden and the changes it goes through the season.

Fallen leaves are debris that makes a garden untidy. They accumulate on to evergreen plants and succulents, smothering them and if they rot in situ which can potentially cause harm.

Fast forward now and in more recent years when the sight of fallen leaves in the autumn are nothing more than just...fallen leaves, part and parcel of autumn. They just need sweeping and tidying up every so often, little and often the best approach. When they accumulate on crowns just remove them as you pass by and the ritual continues until the last batch of autumn leaves have fallen.

Seasonal chore, that's what these fallen leaves signify to me now and no longer a source of annoyance. Mild nuisance they still can be but they are also viewed now with a degree of fondness.

This change in perception however represents a more relaxed approach to the garden, which in many ways allows us to appreciate the garden even when generously sprinkled with fallen leaves. 

On a nice sunny day, wrapped up warm and holding a mug of hot tea I survey the garden and now look past the debris and see beauty instead that is unique to autumn.

Mark :)

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Sun, Mood, and Stars

It's amazing how influential the sun can be on ones mood. For most of July and the early part of August here it has been bright, sunny, warm as you'd expect summer to be. However there was a big shift away from this here from last weekend onwards.

The rains were welcome but grey clouds do come with them and unlike last month these clouds stayed on. And temperatures dipped down too and a little chill in the air can be felt since the weather shifted. I had to dig out a thick sweatshirt to keep me warm while out in the garden. And on my way to work it was a bit odd to see a lot of people wearing knitted jumpers (sweaters) like it was mid autumn already rather than middle of August.

Grey days coupled with chilly, damp air make for an autumnal feeling. Although I suspect this is temporary and warm weather will come back again the sudden change has made an impact on my mood about the garden. One moment I was inspired and perky with the exuberance of summer and all the fast growth in the garden, the next moment I have gone on an indoor mood and found myself thinking of plans for the winter.

But it's only August and it's not like nippy summer days are unusual here but the very sudden shift derailed me a bit from my summer state of thinking. Odd feeling but I'll get used to these grey days and cooler temperatures if it persists. It would be nice though if sun and warmth comes back again for the rest of the season. There's plenty of room for the grey and cool/cold in the autumn and winter.

Again, it's fascinating how influential the sun is one's mood and behaviour isn't it? What about the stars? I was supposed to take photos of the star masks while there was still daylight but alas it was dark already when I remembered to do so. So it'll have to be a photo of it with flash instead. I'll take better photos of it in the next few days.

Mark :-)

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How Much Perfection?

After seeing so many perfect looking gardens in Portland recently, and whilst tidying up in our garden earlier I found myself thinking and wondering, how much perfection is needed when you open a garden?

We don't do open days but we do show our garden to individuals or groups of people. In fact we have two groups coming over the weekend. Although we're both relaxed and easy going about it (most of the time at least) we still anticipate and prepare for anyone's arrival with that extra bit of effort in tidying up than what we usually do just for ourselves. In doing so I also can't help but wonder what are people's expectations, do they expect perfection? They better not for our garden ain't perfect. We're happy to show but they'll have to take it as it is. Perhaps such attitude lets us prepare without panicking.

With the events coming up and work on the garden it makes you also reflect on what is there already and what still needs to be done. At the end of the garden after the filter house we are once again catching up with the jobs. The fences still need to be completed, im not sure exactly what we will do, Gaz was looking through the Buy Fencing Direct site to help us decide, something functional, or something more "designer", time and budget will no doubt influence us.

But what about me, do I expect perfection whenever I visit a garden? Honestly, I don't for nearly all of the time I just let myself get consumed with the emotion of happiness of just being there. I take in the beauty and look for inspiration, so much so that any 'flaw' just goes over my head without any notice.

Does this sound really positive? Well everytime we visit a garden we start in a positive mind frame and most of the time it stays that way for the duration of our visit. Sure some gardens we'll love more than others but there will always be something special in each of them, ideas and inspiration to take home with.

Positive but not blind. Yes we've seen poor gardens too, and even more annoying is that we have even paid to see them. Thankfully they are very few, rare, and far in between.

Going back to 'flaws', so I rarely notice them in other gardens. But I do notice gardens that are too perfect, too unflawed. Contradicting sentences? A garden that is too perfect, like being lifted from a photo spread in a magazine that has been airbrushed too much I find disconcerting, even strange. Where has the character of the garden gone? What does it say about the gardener apart from being too clean? And is that so bad?

There is perfect, then there's too perfect. Like a human face, put on too much concealing makeup and you also erase the character of a face. You get a mask instead. But isn't it more fascinating to find out more about the person behind the mask?

I'm rambling on too much now...

So how much perfection?

To answer my own question I'd say, perhaps perfect enough to show respect to whoever is visiting and not to embarrass yourself. But not too perfect so as to lose character. 

What about you, how much perfection?

Mark :-)

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Rare For You, Not For Me

Do you ever find yourself in a situation where you'd hear a fellow plant lover remark that a plant is so rare and elusive to him, and yet you actually know where to find it,  not just from one place but several??

Podophyllum delavayi - A Sunny Day at Hardy Exotics

For anyone who has followed our blog for quite some time would have noticed by now that we do love plant shopping and visiting nurseries. In fact we thrive on this activity as much as developing our own garden! Well one can surmise that part of developing ones garden is going out there looking for new plants. And this activity is even more appealing if you love plants, love collecting them, and find the prospect of seeing new plants very exciting...just like we do!

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Look Down and See Beauty

On a sunny winter's day wandering down the garden it's easy enough to just focus on plants within your immediate level of vision. More often than not though it's also worth looking down to see some beauty, like this Hellebore in bloom that is a cheer to see in winter...

This post was initially inspired by fungi glistening with rain that fell the night before...

But there were others too that were a delight to see on a bright winter's day like...

Magnolia delavayi sprouting from the base. A symbol of hope and recovery from the fire

Saxifrage, Stone, and Moss

Euphorbia x pasteurii

Chrysosplenium macrophyllum

Galanthus - oh yes we have some of these too!

Mahonia eurybracteata (syn. confusa)

I'm so pining for spring now. Or at least the time when we can get fully stuck in mainly into gardening again, whichever comes first. The very thought of gardening is such a huge motivation to finish off all remaining bits of decorating still left to do in the house.

Patience dear patience, it's only winter still!

Mark :-)

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Quietly We Enter February

So January has gone past and quietly we have entered February...

Echeveria rosea enjoying some winter sun

That's what I remarked anyway on Saturday morning when we both noted how calm and serene it felt at that time and such an atmosphere lasted for us all weekend. This is in contrast to our anticipation that February is actually set to be an activity filled month for us, which will be good as there will be plenty of blog material coming out of it. 

Serenity this weekend however was much appreciated, and much needed especially as we're still feeling the after effects and recovering from the silly busy year for us that was 2013.

It was sunny and the air was still for most of the weekend, in contrast to how the weather was the weekdays before that wherein endless rainfall and gusts of winds were the norm. So the break from all of them was a welcome relief and contributed greatly to this sense of calm at the start of February.

This was fine

This was fine

Even this fungi is fine!

But sunny it may be, it's still only February which means its still winter. And winter mode we will remain in for now so we only had a quick wander down the garden and carried on with indoor pursuits (house redecoration continues) afterwards.

At least the cats kept us company too!

A calm entry to a fun filled February...

Mark :-)

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The Madness and Gladness of it all

Someone asked me yesterday why if somebody else is doing the house renovation for us how come we still work so hard in the evening and the weekends. It made me smile, it was asked by someone who hasn't been through a house renovation before and he will be going through one soon. He's going to be in for an adventure...

In theory it is possible to go through one with very little disruption to ones daily living, with lots of forward planning and if you move out. Or if you have a high budget that every little detail can be done for you by somebody else. This is rarely the case though, us included. For one we have pets to tend to and they can't be relocated whilst work is ongoing, and this is reason enough for us to remain in situ whilst the house is turned upside down.

Not the latest and so much progress has gone on since this photo was taken but this is the only unpublished photo of the back of the house I could currently find on our picasa account.

I was about to sit down and extol the virtues of late summer/early autumn in our garden (especially of a particular place that is looking so good to my eyes at least, in an unlikely part of the garden) last night when the tiler gave us a call saying that he will start work in the house the next day. Which means we had to prepare and clear out parts of the house ASAP, starting with the conservatory and the kitchen.

First things first, we had to return 200 travertine stone tiles back to where we originally got them from. This pile of stone tiles were the biggest clutter in the kitchen and it had to go last night. We bought them a couple of months ago and they were supposed to be used for both areas but since then we have changed the design and they were no longer appropriate for use. Fortunately the retailer were happy to take them back but with them being only open till 8pm it meant it was a frantic shifting of heavy stones into the car and out again once we reached the shop. Talk about having an impromptu work out!

A quick bite to eat afterwards, we needed it for there were loads more to do for the rest of the evening. Second big task, shift the fish tank upstairs. Now this one I found more stressful than shifting stones, not so much for the physical labour but for the thought of the stress that we'll be putting on to the tropical fish in the process of shifting their heavy tank. They had to be caught one by one, chucked in a bucket, tank emptied of rocks/plants/driftwood/filter/water, tank carried upstairs, refilled, and fish put back in again....

It's not only the humans that undergo stress when their house are renovated, I think more so for the pets!

So fish tank gone to where it doesn't normally (and ideally should not) live but at least it's now out of the way, what's next? The fridge! That was shifted to the lounge but the journey to get there was not that easy...

By the time we finished and ready to settle down it was half past midnight. Then there's the early start for work the next day. Sounds intense? This level of activity is just typical for us at the moment but we're getting there.

I'm smiling as I write this, the madness and gladness of it all! I thought doing garden projects were intense, but not as intense as having your home renovated even if you're not doing most of the work yourself.

And you know what else makes blogging tricky at the moment? When you have to move pots and pans away from the desk to be able to use the computer.

Mark :-)

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It's Oh So Quiet

It's oh so quiet, it's oh so still, it's oh so peaceful until...

Snowcone anyone?

As I found myself painting this trellis indoors recently (it's the way to go with the weather still too cold and wet to paint outdoors, plus it's only small) I also got to thinking how horticulturally quiet January has been. For us anyway, and more likely for a majority of gardeners in our region and anywhere else with a similar climate. Not really a surprise, it is winter after all and most plants are in dormancy and generally it has been too cold outside to spend lots of time in the garden.

Just the trellis, not the entire fence panel....

Our post rate last month has been more frequent than usual, certainly more when compared to January of last year. We have been using this quiet month to catch up with several blog posts that we never got the chance to write during the warmer months, plus we had more time to spend indoors and actually write them. But generally, garden wise and plant wise it has been quiet for us. 

Ohh what's happening here?? The clues are beyond the bowl of stones...

Not to say we haven't been busy in the garden, we carried on doing what we can do as long as the weather was ok enough to get stuck in, with the biggest exception being the weekend we had heavy snow fall. And when the thaw came we carried on as normal. Best to do as much as we can so that when better weather arrives we don't get overwhelmed with too long a list of things to do. Yet somehow, despite being busy it still felt so quiet, so peaceful, almost therapeutic.

Reminds me of a river bank, or a gravelly beach

Quiet moments are appreciated, even enjoyable in a serene sort of way. Quiet moments are needed, periods of mental rest that make you even more appreciative of manic moments when spring and summer finally arrives, when plants wake up and more blooms appear. When horticultural interests naturally rise again. Without quiet moments, you risk burning out, losing ones 'mojo' as some would say.

Tempting to dip your feet in, until you realise it's only 4C outside...

But January is now over and February can be quiet too, but not for us this year. February the ball starts rolling again and it won't be oh so quiet like how it was last month. Which makes me look back at January with fondness. I'm glad of quiet moments, it makes the anticipation of the coming months even sweeter...

Mark :-)

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What's Ahead?

With just a handful of small jobs left to do on our big pond project we are frequently asked what will we do next...

Well to be honest we haven't entirely decided, sure we have a few ideas but as yet we haven't prioritised them all.

One early project that we will do something with is the area beyond the filter house, we have referred to this as the working area, and it's our intention to erect a greenhouse here, once the area is tidy and all the remaining spoil from the pond is removed. We have a greenhouse that we blogged about when we collected it but I have been wondering if I should build one to fit the space better and also to allow it to be better insulated than a typical greenhouse. For us the key time of the year with a greenhouse is the winter, we use them to protect our more tender plants, and so provide some additional heat. Although there are numerous ways to do this, electrical heaters are generally the best for the plants as they provide air movement and don't add extra water vapour (as paraffin does for instance). However the downside of electrical heaters is that they can be on the expensive side to run without a decent level of insulation. Once the pond is finished I will draw up some plans and then we can decide what to do.

This area will become our "working area"

Outside the koi house is a small area we havent quite decided how to use, we have considered adding some garden furniture in this spot either a small bistro style set or possible a bench however it may become an area for plants instead... time will tell.

We have also hinted at a project at the front of the house, we have been drawing up sketches for this for a while and have a few ideas. One element may be the addition of an arid bed to take advantage of the south facing aspect and radiated heat from the house and driveways. That idea seemed popular with several readers when we mentioned it before! The other aspect of this make over we are considering is the addition of period railings that would be in keeping with the 1930's period of the house. Again we have yet to decide fully on what we will do but this is a project I'm keen to progress.

Frequently used for storing building materials, perhaps this year will see the front look more like a garden.

A longer term plan is to give the patio near to the house (the top patio) a make over. We have numerous ideas for this area, most of which will be on a bigger scale than those mentioned above. Whatever we decide to do here will probably be in 2014, but will no doubt include a change to the style of the patio accented by new furniture. I am considering building seating integrated into new raised beds, but I think the design for this area will evolve later in the year. Currently everything in the area is moveable, with the plants you can see in pots. We tend to develop our ideas, although often have a good idea of what we want before we put pen to paper. The pond project layout for example was pretty much designed in a hotel room in Madeira, perhaps another holiday is needed!

The Top patio as it looked last summer, time for a change perhaps...

 The Live Outdoors Garden from RHS Hampton Court Flower Show 2012, aspects of this design I would like to incorporate into our garden.

Mark has blogged recently about the "prequel pond" and that is another project we may revisit. I would like to amend some aspects of this pond. It was after all designed to be a goldfish pond, and it developed into a koi pond, with much of the filtration retro fitted. I would like to make it slightly deeper and improve the filtration, so this may be a project for later this summer.

The existing koi pond

So lots of ideas, and possibilities, we shall have to wait to see which will grab our attention and happen next, but of course we will share them with you all whatever we do.

Gaz

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Tropical Soul

One of the things I tend to do in the autumn and most winter is to plan ahead for the next growing season. This year has been quite an exception though as I have been planning for next year since last summer, much earlier than usual. Perhaps because it was so wet that we had much less time to spend tending to the plants, and because of the pond project too which took up most of our spare time this year. Either way I just regard it as a long build up of excitement for next year's potential.

In pursuit of that tropical feel again....

The long road to next year - words I've muttered to myself several times recently. But this year's summer wasn't a write off at all, far from it. Let's just say, it was unique.

Somehow this year I also felt that I have slightly lost touch with what look I want to achieve with the existing garden (the new garden is more modern and hard landscaping heavy, to say the least). Maybe because we have seen so many formal and 'English' style gardens recently and such styles are starting to rub off on me? Again, maybe because we spent most of our time building the pond? But now that the latter is almost done, I find myself with the prospect of having more time again to spend with the rest of the garden. And I need some inspiration for next year. I need to remember what it was all about anyway, why we have what we have now.

Beautiful, but is neither exotic nor tropical. I love it though, but not for our garden.

I need to rediscover our tropical soul. It's still there although semi-dormant and I need to poke and prod it with inspiration to rouse and revive it, ready for next year.

A contrived tropical garden. That's what it was all about, that's how it began and that's how it should be. To create an illusion of a garden that is from the tropics; of far flung, exotic places full of exotic and unusual plants. Perhaps to remind you of a cherished holiday abroad, or as a way of everyday escapism to make you feel you are anywhere else but here.

And yes it can be done, to create that illusion via creativity and substitution.

Of which I need to remember. I need to remind myself.

So how do I go about remembering it again? The first port of call are books. New books to remind myself and be inspired again.

A quick search online bought about several books about the subject matter 'tropical gardening', but I narrowed the selection down and recently acquired three to add to my existing collection of exotic and tropical gardening books:

Landscaping with Tropical Plants by Monica Moran Brandies

Tropical Garden Design by Made Wijaya (of which I've seen before, it's just I've never actually owned it and as it's a new edition, I might as well own one now)

and Tropical Gardens of the Philippines by Lily Gamboa O'Boyle and Luca Invernizzi Tettoni

All three are superb and inspirational. Lots of ideas to pick from the beautiful photography. But I have to single out the last one, for that book blew me away...

Funny enough, I went through those three books in that order so when I got to the last one, I was, well, gobsmacked ('totally surprised' for those who are not aware of this British colloquial word). Wow!

Stunning photography of stunning gardens with stunning plants. Have I said the word 'stunning' enough already? 

After going through this book several times and settling down after the initial astonishment of visual delights found in every page, one other thing that struck me is that most of the gardens featured are private residences, rather than large parks and public spaces. Which makes the photos more 'reachable', attainable, and aspects of it applicable to ones own space. Even in parts of the world that are far from tropical, like where we are.

Illusion and creative substitution are the operative words.

I would hasten to add though that this book is not for those seeking botanical knowledge. It's probably not even for garden designers, for there are no rules stated there. It is however, for anyone seeking visual inspiration, for anyone wanting to create a beautiful exotic garden. It is a book of pure visual beauty. And sometimes that's all you need. It's up to the reader to apply to ones own space the beauty they have seen if they so wish.

Bearing in mind that the tropics do not have four seasons, and that there is a state of year round constancy with regards to the appearance of plants growing there, it takes a bit of faith and flair to adapt that look in a cold temperate climate. But this extra challenge makes exotic gardening even more fun.

So has these books revived our tropical soul? Yes I think so. A flick through them every so often is probably needed. So we'll remember...

And it will happen.

Mark :-)

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