Garden Joltings
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- Gay_Klok
- Gay_Klok
- Carol Wallace
- Gay_Klok
- SQS_Penguin
- Gay_Klok
- Marge_Talt
- Marge_Talt
- Gay_Klok
- Gay_Klok
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» Gay_Klok - Re: Great site as usual
In response to message posted by Maryel:Thank you ME, you always make a body feel reassured!
Had a great time with the visitors in the weekend and have another bunch of photos to test everyone's patience next month!
Happy Thanksgiving, ME, hope you and others reading this have a good holiday
-- posted by Gay_Klok
» Gay_Klok - Re: hello!
In response to message posted by SarahTyson:Hello, Sarah. how do you like the new Suite?
What a place to attend a conference in November! I envy you, they are beautiful cool temperate gardens in Leura. Did you go to Peter Valder's old garden? I often wonder if the new owner is making many changes to one of the best gardens in Australia
I had the nicest ever entry in my Guest Book last weekend - "Exquisite composition of controlled natural planting" - the address was England! It made me proud. And that reminds me - what do you think of the quote from Michael Pollen's book "Second Nature"? *Of the seven deadly sins, surely it is pride that most commonly afflicts the gardener* Is that a fair observation?
-- posted by Gay_Klok
» Carol Wallace - Re: Re: hello!
In response to message posted by Gay_Klok:I was so SURE that I had posted here, telling you that I also enjoyed Michael Pollan's book - in fact even though I have several gardening books waiting to be read, I am tempted to pull that one off the shelf and read it again before I get to the new ones. (I love a garden book that is a greaty read rather than a how-to-manual, even though those have their value for me as well.)
But pride? I don't know. More often if I look at my garden through my own eyes I see places that are good and other places that need help - I NEVER see places that are boast-worthy because I am always so aware of how much better they can be. If something does look great then I am usually grateful and awed not by what I did, but what the plant did!
And if I look at the garden through the eyes of potential visitors I also see things two ways. One is the avid gardener's eyes as we assume they might see our yards - critically, noting all the problem spots. This is my fear - but in reality, looking at my garden through the avid gardener's eyes I am more likely to admire this new plant and that combination, and wonder why the gaura doesn't take over in this garden the way it seems to in others - in other words, true lovers of gardening will always find something of beauty in mine despite the flaws. No pride there - only a hope that they will not have to hunt too hard to find that beauty.
Finally, there are those who don't know a theng about gardening. They usually think our gardens are pretty spectacular. But I have no pride in hearing that, from non-gardeners - they are probably more awed at the work it must take then anything else, and as taken by an accidental pairing of things than what I accomplished through work and skill - they don't have a real basis for judging and so I am happy that they like it - but do not get an inflated ego from that positive response.
Of course there are evening when my husband and I are sitting in the garden at near dusk, while bees and butterflies are still buzzing but the night-scented flowers are beginning to pour forth with fragrance and the light dims to give the entire garden a muted, dreamy look when we both sit back and are proud of what we have managed to create - all the while thinking of ways to make it better still.
I guess I don't agree with Pollan there. I wish I COULD agre with him - but am not yet so assured of my skills that I can be even justly proud, much less over-puffed up. ;-)
-- posted by Carol Wallace
» Gay_Klok - Re: Re: Re: hello!
In response to message posted by CarolWallace:There's a lot of meat in that discussion, Carol - Thank you = I couldn,t have put your thoughts better myself
Let's chew over a few things. Pollen used the word pride in the form [I hope] - as "She takes pride in her house" or "She takes pride in her children" but he does mention "the seven deadly sins", so I am not sure. Perhaps he didn't give it much thought.Just looked pride in Oxford dictionary and most are horrible, "Overwhelming qualities in one's ability" etc but hal way down it mentions "feeling of elation and pleasure" "as take a pride in" "he is his mother's pride" "flower names as in London's Pride" AND "peacock in his pride [with tail expanded and wings drooping]"
Perhaps the author is a little too clever with this remark
I agree wholeheartedly with all you write, my feelings altogether. I will never boast re our gardens, but I can feel very pleased and Yes! satisfied when something is looking beautiful. Never smug though. I have quoted the lovely message in the Guest Book in a discussion above. The one I dislike the most is "Your garden is so beautiful, I am going home to pull out everything and start again" That statements gives me the shivers.
One of our visitors was an old gardening friend, who I consider is the greatest of gardeners. She is now rather frail and in her eighties. I walked around with Judy and glowed in her remarks. With her elderly and experienced eyes, she immediately perceived the best - not the showiest but the corners of quiet beauty where all the plants and trees were living in peace together. Where Nature and Gay had given thought and love to the plantings. I was so happy when Judy left, and not one emotion of a deadly sin
-- posted by Gay_Klok
» SQS_Penguin - Hi Gay
Today is the American Thanksgiving - and so I just wanted to poke my beak into tour topic to say that I am grateful for you and your beautiful garden.Love,
-- posted by SQS_Penguin
» Gay_Klok - Re: Hi Gay
In response to message posted by SQS_Penguin:Darling President "Scuse", have a pleasant day.
Why can't the politicians in the US of A take a leaf out of our book? We elected you with no fuss or bother. Sticking my nose in where it doesn't belong, I think it was because you were the outstanding choice and we could trust you with no hesitation. It seems to me the choice of the voters was equally difficult or of the same quality in both camps. I reckon they should start all over and get themselves candidates of the outstanding gentleness, humility and intelligence of our World Leader - YOU!
-- posted by Gay_Klok
» Marge_Talt - Re: peacocks was: your beautiful garden
In response to message posted by Gay_Klok:Hi Gay,
Thanks for the info. These are fascinating birds.
Are the chicks cute or as homely as their moms? They do seem prolific:-) Sad as it is to think of the chicks becoming dinner for the eagle babies, if they all reached maturity, you'd be over run with peacocks with that many mature ones around.
How did you get started with them? Did you just get a couple and let them loose?
Do the white ones breed true or sometimes have colored chicks? Interesting that the blue and green come from such different places.
Cracks me up that the males display for you, cars and just about anything else that moves:-)
-- posted by Marge_Talt
» Marge_Talt - Re: your beautiful garden
In response to message posted by Gay_Klok:Hi Gay again:-)
I really have no clue which rhodies my hedge are. Bought them off the back of a truck around 10 years or so ago. There are so many with that same lavenderish flower out there and the foliage isn't distinctive in any way. I somehow doubt they are R. ponticum. I have R. catawbiense, which is native to the mountains west of me and have often thought these might be one of the many cultivars of same, but that is pure conjecture.
You're right - the flower colors can vary quite a bit. I have them from deep red to champagne beige, but am lacking whites and yellows at this point. Some even come in blue..had a couple of those, but lost them..can't think of the species - they are the small ones with the small leaves.
I have never actually smelled skunk cabbage; might be that you have to crush the leaves for them to release their scent, but have read that they can live up to their name. Could also be the flower that smells as I think, like many aroids, they are pollinated by flies.
Be interested to find out what yours smell like and what part has a scent...if any.
-- posted by Marge_Talt
» Gay_Klok - Re: Re: peacocks was: your beautiful garden
In response to message posted by Marge_Talt:Marge, if you are interested in the story of how we got the peafowl, here is the URL to the story on my Home Page of the giving of the first two peacocks - I hope you enjoy
The chicks are very sweet and quite lively little things
-- posted by Gay_Klok
» Gay_Klok - Re: Re: your beautiful garden
In response to message posted by Marge_Talt:Maybe your blue Rhodo was "Blue Diamond" or "Blue Tit". A larger flowered species in the blues is Rh augustinii, which varies from almost grey to quite a good blue, you should always see it in flower before blooming to make sure you have a good colour.
With Open Days I forgot to smell - shall rty this weekend but I think you are right, it will be the flower that reeks to attract the blowflies
-- posted by Gay_Klok
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