Marc's Gardens

Hello everybody! It's been a while. Obviously, there have been some recent occupational changes that have kept me much busier, and what with loads of other things happening, I haven't had much time to write a blog post. However, a few days off over the Xmas period, a re-reading of the wonderful Oudolf story (Hummelo) plus reading Michael King (The Perennial Garden) and Mien Ruys has nudged me back up to my study and back on to blogger. In case you didn't know already, much of my horticultural interest has always centred around the philosophical/artistic movements that underpin the changes we often see evolving, either within garden design or in how we choose to interpret landscapes. For example, you don't have to be a landscape academic to have noticed how radical changes in garden history have tended to either reflect the artistic movement of the day or have acted in a kind of counter rebellion towards...

Mean Rice I remember my first visit to a motor racing event at Silverstone many years ago. We were going to stay in nearby Towcester: the first time I had been anywhere near the racing circuit in Northants. Anyway, although quite lost, and no doubt circumnavigating the town several times, I can recall stopping to ask folk if we were anywhere near Towcester, or ‘Toe-Chester’ as I was pronouncing it. Bemused locals simply shook their heads and looked at me as if I were an alien, and despite asking them - probably in the town itself - they still insisted that ‘no…. never heard of that place round 'ere.’ Then, luckily one bright local- yokel announced ‘oh you must mean Towcester’ – pronouncing it Toaster! ‘ Are you ‘aving a laugh ’ I thought! Are you telling me that I’ve been driving around this town (lost!) asking for ‘Toe-Chester’ and all the while not one of you had the wits about you to think I might simply be pronouncing the name, of your town, incorrectly? I do get...

Asteraceae Heaven I love December! It always seems like quite a short month really. The days are short. The festivities of Christmas seem to remove at least a week from the month itself and no sooner is Xmas over with, than the celebrations of New Year commence. Also, my birthday is in December. So, whilst the month itself  launches us deep into winter 'proper' I never mind it too much.  Echinaceae paradoxa    But 'why' I hear you cry am I banging on about December and Christmas here at the start of September? Well ** tenuous link warning ** recently I went on a study day at Great Dixter. I visit Dixter quite regularly and have written about the place a few times in my posts. I've also attended quite a few of the study days there, looking closely at Exotic Planting ,  Successional Planting , and the Plants of the AGM - Award of Garden Merit. However, this time it was... drum roll please...... Daisy Day at ...

Knowing What You Don't Know There are known knowns. These are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don't know we don't know.   Donald Rumsfeld   Gardening customers of mine will be used to the sight of me working away quite happily with a small and discreet single earpiece, usually stuck in my right ear. Why always my right ear, I don't quite know...? The left earpiece usually sits tucked inside my T-shirt, unless of course I am listening to music (a dead give away!) when you'll see me all wired up in glorious stereophonic sound. Having never been asked in over 5 years of working, last week two customers of mine asked me what it was I was listening to exactly? Well, I can hereby reveal all....  There are a few regular Radio 4 podcasts I download each week: a couple of ga...

Labour of Love   So, anyway, again I hear that gardening tops the poll of happiest jobs. Work-related misery and high suicide rates still appear to attach themselves to GP's and dentists. Strange one that.... and one I've never quite understood myself. But, being neither, what would I know? Although I must confess, my mouth houses more lead than the local church roof and looking at the state of our nation's teeth - well, it's enough to depress anyone I would've thought! So why is gardening constantly uppermost in that list of top jobs? Well, I guess that could do with some of the following observations... my observations that is. What I've seen from 'doing' gardening, teaching gardening, and watching gardeners garden. Here are just a few of my thoughts on the subject... A'hem! 1 - You can't rush the seasons . Unlike most areas of modern business, you simply can't hurry gardening. There are quite definite seasonal tasks, and th...

  Fresh back from two weeks in Thailand, and what an amazing time I had there. As a gardener, I always try to take my holiday in either January or February: it makes complete sense really. In my approach to winter working, I always structure my mentality in the same way. Basically, as autumn approaches I prepare for the cooler, colder days, put my head down and step up a gear, always aiming to work right through until Xmas. It’s a good plan really, as the worst of the winter weather (extreme cold, snow & ice) doesn’t really hit us until after Xmas.   With nothing but a pair of shears and some bamboo supports, Thai gardeners go about shaping these trees.   You would think that with the days getting longer (since Dec 21 st ) and the sun getting slowly stronger… Well, you wonder why it seems to get so much colder in Jan & Feb? Of course, the reason for this is obvious really. Basically, the land and the seas around us have been gettin...