Paddy's Garden, a quick walk around

[Paddy Tobin]

Maggi,

I started the thread for the sake of something to do - hadn't been posting so many photographs for a while and thought I ought to make a contribution and, you know, I really enjoyed it. The many nice (oftentimes very flattering) comments were lovely to receive and greatly appreciated, so many thanks to all forumists who posted such kind comments. It is a great pleasure to share with such kind and enthusiastic gardeners. I am not a great grower of the finer alpines - I don't think they really like our very damp climate, riverside fogs and night time dew - but I do enjoy seeing all these treasures from everybody else and this is my way of sharing the gardening pleasure with you. Also, I don't have the dedicated mentality to give such detailed attention to a plant. I like those which grow with ease and perform year after year.

As an aside: Mary and I judged a garden competition for a gardening club in our neighbouring county during the summer. We both are inclined to call a spade a spade and awarded our marks as fairly as possible but perfectly honestly at the same time so that some people of reputation were disappointed and by chance we met some of them at a garden visit yesterday. The atmosphere was a little tense, to say the least. Such fun!

Many thanks to all for the kind comments.

Paddy

[Paddy Tobin]

A super walk around the garden Paddy... and one that you might care to elaborate on next year at diiferent seasons, perhaps?

Now there's a great idea !  

That could be arranged. Now, let me consider my fee!!!

P.S. This puts in mind one of the bees in my bonnet: A number of years ago Mary and I were convinced to allow our garden to be included in a "Garden Trail", a set of gardens which would open to the public and  charge people for admission. It was something we most certainly didn't enjoy and dropped out quickly. Charging people to share and enjoy a commonly-held interest seems not correct to us and runs, in our minds, against the ethos of gardening and gardeners which traditionally has been one of sharing freely. Money somehow sullies it for us. Sharing is so  much more pleasant and more enjoyable. 

Paddy

[angie]

Lovely garden and love the patio 1 pic, can imagine sitting there enjoying the surrounding area.

Aerial view great, thanks for sharing your garden.

Angie
PS wish my grass was as good as yours.

[cohan]

Robin suggested I put up this aerial view of the garden so that people could position the views and get a better idea of the layout of the garden.

Paddy

this was fun to see! and really shows your rural setting, which you couldnt tell from the closer shots..

[Lesley Cox]

The aerial photo is a great help in orientating oneself within the garden and shows it as a diamond within  the larger emerald.

 I agree Paddy, about the charging to let people share the garden. The concept of charging almost scuttled an open gardens scheme here a few years back for Rhodo week when many fine local gardens are open to view. A new organization took over the running of the scheme and suddenly if you didn't charge, you weren't acceptable. Many dropped out of the scheme as a consequence and Rhodo week is the poorer for it.

[fermi de Sousa]

Paddy,
thanks for the tour of your garden. It looks like a real "labour of love" - wonderful to see.

Seeing as you're in "God's own country" it reminds me of the story of the priest who walks up to a farmer (read "gardener") and says "That's a fine field (garden) that you and the Lord have there!"
And he replies, "Yes, but you should have seen it when He had it on his own!"

Keep up the good work,
cheers
fermi

[David Nicholson]

Just caught up with this Paddy. You have a lovely garden, made me feel quite envious.

[Paddy Tobin]

Fermi and David,

Many thanks for your kind comments. The garden is a great pastime which I enjoy very much.

Paddy

[David Lyttle]

Paddy,

I have been enjoying your postings of your garden. As owner of a larger garden I can appreciate how much work goes into keeping things under control (mine requires a chainsaw and 13hp garden shredder) - I would be reluctant to post pictures of mine on this forum. I noticed you had a couple of Astelia chathamica in one shot, flourishing. I surmise you have a mild wettish climate possibly not too dissimilar to ours. Perhaps not as much wind. Paradoxically not very good for growing alpines especially our own New Zealand ones which grow much better in parts of the UK.

Thanks for the tour, it was very much appreciated.

David

[Paddy Tobin]

David,

You describe my weather conditions perfectly - "soft and damp" might sum it up and it is not really suitable for many of the alpine plants but excellent to grow a wide range of trees, shrubs and herbaceous perennial material.

Astelias do particularly well here, bulk up very quickly and so are a great plant to have for gifts for other gardening friends.

By coincidence, I was viewing a good shredder in a local garden equipment shop only last week.

Glad you enjoyed the tour of the garden. Paddy

[Paddy Tobin]

Three months later: a January stroll around the garden. Snow is very uncommon here and is appreciated for the different view of the garden is gives. However, we are far more comfortable with our drizzle and rain, much softer and, though we complain about it all the time, it suits us far better than this currently extremely cold spell.

No particular order to the photographs, simply in alphabetic order as named.

Paddy

Abies koreana 20100110.jpg
Arch 20100110.jpg
Astelias at steps 20100110.jpg
Back of house 20100110.jpg
Bay trees in pots 20100110.jpg

[Paddy Tobin]

Continuing:

Betula utilis and phormium 20100110 (2).jpg
Betula utilis and phormium 20100110.jpg
Blackbird 20100110 (2).jpg
Blackbird 20100110.jpg

[Paddy Tobin]

Onward:


Dierama 20100110.jpg
Euphorbia melifera 20100110 (2).jpg
Euphorbia melifera 20100110.jpg
Front lawn 20100110.jpg
Head the ball 20100110.jpg

[Paddy Tobin]

More:
Hydrangea aspera20100110 (2).jpg
Hydrangea aspera 20100110 (3).jpg
Hydrangea aspera 20100110.jpg
John's snowman 20100110.jpg
Mahonia meadia 'Charity' 20100110.jpg

[angie]

Paddy, enjoyed my stroll in your garden and didn't even get cold. I wonder if the blackbird knows how famous he has become.
Paddy do you cut back your dierama mine always has a lot of brown leaves in it and I wondered about cutting it back.
Angie