Re-viewing.............the situation!

At last we have now had some rain and the countryside that has been steadily turning from brown to green has now started to add splashes of colour as the wild plants "show off" their flowers. The ever changing pageant of the seasons has just reminded me of the way our gardens change, not only with the seasons, but over the years. When I first began writing for the Polis & Latchi Magaine I wrote an article on planning your garden for the future and how not to rush into anything. I said you should take your time deciding over the hard landscaping and where to plant everything. Recently I have had the pleasure of re-visiting some of my old customers' gardens and seeing how they have matured (the gardens....that is!).

I was looking to see how the careful planning between the owners and the landscape designer have borne fruit, so to say. Whenever possible it is always best when the customers themselves have ideas of what they want from their garden. The first and most important question is are you going to be resident at your property for the whole year or just occasionally?

Or will the property be rented out? The answer to this question alone can dictate the type of garden you should have. However enthusiastic and green fingered you are, if you only visit the property twice a year then a fully planted area may not be practical unless you can afford to have the garden maintained in your absence.

Do you want to relax around the pool in peace, give sedate dinner parties under a vine covered pergola? or have extravagent barbeques? Do you have a dog or cat? What about children, where will they play?, certainly you do not want the children playing close to spiky Agave! The careful liaison between a customer and the garden designer can be a good partnership with ideas and problems being solved and ready advice given and received.

With the property boom of recent years we have seen many gardens hasitly produced or overplanted by inexperienced or over zealous gardeners and landscape companies. It is now a regular occurance for us to be called to gardens where the cute washington palm of eight years ago is now a strapping giant which blocks light and tries to sever the limbs of anyone who passes by, and unfortunately is has then to be removed.

How many people have constructed pergolas, laid paved areas and planted in the wrong places only to have to do it all over again? As I have said careful planning helps and if you can talk to someone with local experience for advice, I would strongly recommend that you do.

Of course the garden is an ever changing place. Plants grow and mature and unfortunately some die, while some get to large and unrly. Plant an "Echium" and enjoy its blue spiked pinnacles that the insects love to buzz around during the seasons, but eventually it becomes a woody monster and sadly needs replacing. And of course, we all change our minds, what looked beautiful in the garden centre can end up a nightmare in the garden.

A flowering bougainvillae looks wonderful in the garden, but oh! all those petals to clear up!........ Well, I hope this has given food for thought to all you budding gardeners out there, enjoy the coming spring and plan carefully...... Call Steve 9993466