Tuesday 25 June 2013

Open Garden 2013

"A haven of peace”, the bouncy little lady said. “I love, love, love it”.

At first I was a little taken aback, wondering if she could possibly be a fellow blogger, given to such effusive praise. She was one of he very few I spoke to, I hardly bothered to go out at all. Even the photographs are taken from just one spot, namely the open door of the conservatory. Anybody who came to ask a question, usually the name or variety of a plant, was welcome, of course. The whole weekend was cold and drizzly, with a heavy shower thrown in now and then. I doubt we had more than 100 visitors over the two afternoons, less than half of what we have had in other years.



Millie had a few doggy visitors. She behaved very well, greeted them and their owners and never barked at any of them, although to her they must have been intruders. She was a little puzzled and kept close to us in the conservatory for most of the time; protecting us, no doubt.


Beloved and I drank tea and wine, read our books and looked up occasionally to acknowledge a wave from the visitors, all of them huddled inside anoraks and cagoules, hoods and hats pulled down firmly against the chill wind and drizzle. It is so sad to see them slouching past the flower beds, rarely stopping to take a closer look.

When I was manicuring and snipping and propping and titivating during the last two weeks of hard work, I should have remembered that most garden visitors look for vistas, the overall impression of a bed or even a whole garden, if it’s small; only keen fellow gardeners admire individual arrangements and plant groupings, and sometimes gratifyingly stand in contemplation of a single clump. It’s what I would do. It’s what makes the hard work pay off.


This year visitors had an excuse for scanning rather than looking closely: the long winter and damp spring have caused lush growth but little colour. That’s still to come. By next weekend, with a little luck and warm sunshine, the whole garden will burst into life. The signs are already there, just two days later. Isn’t it always so : you should have seen the one that got away.

We’ve been opening the garden to visitors for years. Mostly, they are appreciative and praise what there is. We have had lovely conversations with tourists, walked about with other gardeners and enthused over plans and new plant discoveries. We have exchanged views and, occasionally, addresses.  Some people have returned year after year, “to see what you’ve done”. If I’ve been unable to recall the specific name of a particular plant, be it shrub, tree, climber or herbaceous perennial, I’ve promised to do research and have the information ready for next year.

In a good year 'Open Garden' is a pleasure; the event makes you look at your private space through foreign eyes, always a salutary lesson. I find I appreciate my garden more afterwards.

The bouncy little lady was right: I have every reason to be proud of my haven of peace.


44 comments:

  1. What a fine thing to do for other gardeners and people who appreciate beauty, Friko. That bouncy little lady is right indeed. Thank you for your attention to detail, and if I were in the neighborhood, I'd have been there, too! :-)

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  2. Indeed you do....such a pity the weather was so miserable.

    In my last years of garden visiting grasses were in vogue...swathes of the damned things...so it was always good to see a garden where someone had thought out their plantings to show a group of plants to advantage.

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  3. Absolutely, Friko. I could not, for one, ever open my garden to strays, I mean visitors. It takes enormous courage. Everything looks beautiful if I may say so, both the small-scale and the borrowed landscape.

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  4. Wonderful photos! I think everyone's disappointed when the rain spoils things, but I love to go to open gardens when it's sunny. I always appreciate clever planting, even though I am not a good gardener myself.

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  5. its pretty cool to have others come in to appreciate your gardens and the work you put into it...the pics are great...and i like the womans comment...ha on thinking they might be a blogger...

    ps. you dropped a 't' in the in the opening paragraph.

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  6. Well, I think the green is gorgeous! And I love to look at how plantings come together -- whether it is by color or size/structure/shape -- so many ways. And it DOES look like a haven of peace. I'm rather fond of the different shades of green and those very pretty purple flowers in the top photo at the left.

    I feel so sad that after all the work that you (and I'm sure your fellow gardeners in the town) put into the Open Garden event that the rain put such a damper on attendance and attention (as well as color). Perhaps in another couple of weeks you can hang an 'open garden' shingle at your gate and rake in the compliments I suspect would be coming! (Isn't it funny how we appreciate our spaces more when others find something lovely in it?)

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  7. I would just stand in your garden and drink it all in - the peace, the lushness, the careful placement of everything. It was a shame about the weather - however, now you and a chosen few can really appreciate the garden when it all bursts into colourful bloom.

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  8. You certainly do have a right to be proud. The space is beautiful. I wish I could visit to see it. Perhaps some day I can and if so, I promise you will be very happy as I crawl around on hands and knees taking wonderful maco photographs of all of those little clumps.

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  9. The precisely edged lawn leads the eye to focal points of color and then releases the viewer to contemplate the balance with the less structured natural vistas beyond.

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  10. Hi Friko - from the look of your photos - that little bouncy lady is absolutely right .. and I hope you, Beloved and Millie have the best of times this coming weekend with loads of new blossoms, with more following on ..

    Looks absolutely glorious .. my kind of heaven ... enjoy your bouncy, bubbly space with long winding walks across the fields and along river banks -

    Pleased at least the stalwarts came out - it's been miserable ... however the belting wind kept the rain (mostly) away for Eastbourne tennis! Cheers Hilary

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  11. I don't mind visiting gardens on drizzling days; it is cooler, less people to block my view, and photos more vibrant, just as it is looking at yours this morning. It sounds so peaceful, Friko, to be able to enjoy your visitors after all that back-breaking toil, from the view of your conservatory. I appreciate you sharing your open days here.

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  12. Absolutely. In the end, the visitors come for just two days, then your garden is your own to enjoy all summer long.

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  13. All the work it takes to make such a haven of peace! It all does look beautiful and peaceful and so green! The colors may come but I'd be happy with the green.
    I think of garden tours as so upper-crusty, I'd be afraid to speak to the homeowner. I'd be one of the ones doing a shy little wave.

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  14. Yes, you do have every right to be proud of your haven of peace. The vistas are always so wonderful in a garden, but I am one who likes to get up close to see the varieties and ponder the groupings of plants. I think that groupings make a garden and show off the creativity and intelligence of the gardener. I like to see the expression of personal taste in a garden. Oh how I would love to visit your haven.

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  15. Ja daar kan je zeker trots op zijn zo,n mooie tuin wel leuk zo,n open tuinendag.

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  16. I know I would spend hours in your garden and become a bother taking many photographs. Your garden looks radiant! Be proud!

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  17. Your garden, as I recall it, has it all: so many gorgeous nooks and crannies as well as lovely long views. In the photos it looks beautiful even in the rain and damp, though of course not perfect for open garden day. May the rain pass, the sun shine, and the colors blossom soon.

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  18. Your garden is a marvel - I am awestruck by the plantings and the fullness of your design. I can see the work you did. I would love to linger there. - perhaps with a glass of that wine.

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  19. Hallo Friko,
    solch einen Tag der offenen Gärten gibt es in unserer Gegend auch. Ich habe mir aber nicht gemerkt, an welchem Wochenende die Gärten geöffnet sind. Haben wir auch nie genutzt, obschon wir durchaus viel Pflege und viel Arbeit für unseren Garten aufwenden und Gärten insbesondere dann als schön empfinden, wenn die Rasenflächen nicht Überhand nehmen. Schade, dass England so weit entfernt liegt, Euer Garten hätte uns sicherlich fasziniert. Bunt, abwechslungsreich, man sieht, dass Du viel Mühe in den Tag des offenen Gartens hinein gesteckt hast.

    Wünsche Dir einen schönen Abend
    Dieter

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  20. I think we gardeners like showing off our spaces not as a form of 'one-upsmanship', but in the hope that they will find the same joy we do.

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  21. I'm glad at least one of your visitors "got it" and really enjoyed the garden.

    Of course, the main thing is that YOU do.
    (And so do I, even in pictures...)

    =)

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  22. Wonderful journalistic open/close!

    A great day. And such wisdom about vistas vs details we obsess over! Live your garden, not one weed!

    Lovely. Glad to see Millie becoming such a companion, as our miss Pixie has :-)

    Meow, woof Aloha and Toodles :-)

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  23. How wonderful that you and beloved share your haven, and of course Millie was protecting you!

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  24. Friko, your garden looks so beautiful...I do envy those folks who got to see it on open day. How good that Millie handled hostess duty in such a welcoming way...and that other pups were welcome.

    It is suddenly oppressively hot and humid here, and the air is not clear.... I do envy you your setting ... perhaps shades of green are appropriate?

    Now... off to send you an email.

    xo

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  25. I have been on garden tours twice, this is the first year I am doing an open garden on my own. I must say though that my garden cannot compare to yours.

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  26. Indeed you do! (Have every reason to be proud of your haven of peace, I mean.)
    And it's not as if you've been putting all that work into it for the visitors; your garden is first and foremost YOUR garden, isn't it.
    From the pictures, it looks huge!

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  27. I envy the bouncy little lady. Your haven of peace always fills me with awe and I would love to wander and to ooh and aah. It looks truly beautiful - and you and Beloved can enjoy the colour when it arrives.

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  28. Frico,
    I think it's a big responsibility and work to open the door of your garden for visitors!
    Your garden without a doubt deserves attention and good reviews.
    I especially like the combination of colors on the third photo.
    Congratulations to the lovely open garden!

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  29. What a wonderful compliment....I so enjoy seeing the pics of the garden...I can only imagine what it would be like to visit. Wow!
    Hugs
    SueAnn

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  30. Gorgeous and snug. I tend to scan, but then notice little things - sometimes not pointedly though. Rather like walking through an art gallery, I seem to just be moving through, but I'm taking it all in from all angles.

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  31. You can be proud of your garden.

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  32. Your garden is beautiful. What a shame the weather wasn't very kind

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  33. Gorgeous.

    But you know, it's one of those basic laws of life that no one appreciates the work you do on something the way you would.

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  34. Millie probably inner freaked a little at the heterogeneous mass of people/dogs. Hell, I would(mostly over the people, not the dogs). You have a lot to be proud of in that garden. You've done your very best & then a little more. ~Mary

    ps anything that creates a little peace is a beauty even before all the proper colors.

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  35. It looks absolutely beautiful to me -- but isn't it the way of it that our gardens are always at their best just before or just after the visit of those whom we'd most like to impress...

    Thank you for the kind words about my book!

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  36. What heaven! You have an absolutely beautiful garden, Friko! How generous of you to share it -- not only with your visitors -- but also with us!

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  37. How very nice to open your garden to interested visitors. I have a neighbour who does likewise. It's nice to be appreciated.. nicer still to feel more appreciation for your own. As well you should.

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  38. Well, your hard work certainly paid off. I wondered what the shrub with the lavender flowers was in photo 1. I love the view from your conservatory. How nice you let well behaved dog visitors come to see your handiwork. Also, congratulations on opening the grounds again and discovering you really do enjoy it. Last year you were a bit put down by the event, I thought. Dianne

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  39. Dear Friko, when I view your garden photographs I see vistas of beauty. So much hard work and yet the feeling of satisfaction it gives you must be immense. I'm so glad that others get to come and view the beauty you and nature provide for them. Peace.

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  40. Shame about the cold weather. From where I'm sitting, your garden is like a lush green paradise!

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  41. Your garden is gorgeous, even in the drizzle and without the summer colour. So sorry I was en route to France last weekend and couldn't come over.

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  42. I'm sure everyone was struck dumb with envy , rather than just slouching through !

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  43. Big happy sigh despite the bad weather. What bliss it would be to just sit in the midst of all that and drink it all in.

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