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Warm Climate Gardens - Part 2

© Gary Buckley

First the re-cap, by Warm Climate gardens, I'm calling hot for the sake of these articles and any pursuing discussions off these articles; any growing situation the reader is in where summer temperatures frequently rise above the 30 to 32 plus degree Celsius mark and where winter temperatures rarely go below 5 to 6 degrees Celsius {with the occasional dip lower}.

We ended last week by saying "a hot garden needs a canopy of trees and other structures to help lower the temperatures and break up drying winds."

Before we even go into this, could I summarise a few e-mails we have had since the last article?

Articles are but a guide, they are not a blueprint to slavishly follow. They are only intended for folks who either wish a garden or have a garden, but do not do a lot of gardening, and are perhaps betwixt because of busy jobs and schedules as to if they wish to do any gardening. One incoming complained that although the writer had a sophisticated highly technical job, he could not find a style in his patch of Eden.

Whilst you need to bear in mind the general intent of your palette, style is an evolving thing, both because of your tastes and what might be available to buy.

Being true to yourself is the best style I can suggest, as styles become fashionable and quickly go out of date.

I'm beginning to realise, that for a lot of folks, beginning a garden or even changing a garden can be an intimidating business.

I am a self taught, this worked here gardener, I feel the majority of gardeners fall into this category. Learning to garden from books and courses is rather like learning a new language, too much talk ~ talk ~ talk of the dizzy heights of dry expression coupled with a steady diet of pure grammar becomes indigestible; quickly waneing ones initial interest. So many half finished masterpieces as you drive round suburbia attest to this.

Getting it right, is finding both a pace and a will to create order. For this you have to know your true likes and dislikes. Be honest and realistic in what plans you would like to manifest. Whether you choose to draw up a plan for your initial backbone of your plantings, or whether you choose to visualise it in your mind's eye; you need to develop a keen sense of what is, for your canvas to blossom.

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