- airydisc
- Cambs.
- 20 May 2008
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1
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I am new to gardening and last year was inspired by some of the images shown on the BBC from the 2007 Chelsea show. I have reached middle age and suddenly I discover flowers. We have a very small garden with which to work on but since last year, we now have five Clematis plants, several flowering shrubs, a large Buddleia, an Acer, several Fuchsias, lots of Golden Rod, many others too numerous to mention and about 40 rose plants (my favourites). The essence of what appeals to me about flowers and some gardens is the colour, fragrance and form of some flowers. They seem to have a way of affecting the emotions - the aroma of Buddleia is very addictive, many of the roses bring on feelings of contentment (they are having an effect on neurotransmitters), deep and solid colours do the same. I grew some flowers from seed this year for the very first time, and also took some Fuchsia cuttings - which actually grew! The feeling I got when I realised I had grown something was immense.Being new to gardening, I realise I have a somewhat naive point of view about most gardening related subjects, but I also realise that someone new to any subject, that has life experience, can actually see the wood and the trees.Last year at Chelsea there were show gardens that were full of colour (I particularly remember the Sustainable Winery Garden (I think it was called), with the multi-coloured wild flowers on a mound. That was stunning. OK, there were some sculpture gardens with little colour, but many were largely inspiring when it came to colour.This year, its all about sculpture, water, metal horse troughs, limestone flooring, large false flowers, boulders and obelisks that serve no floral purpose, flowers made of metal, large wooden structures that seem to exist for their own purpose. Where are all the colourful flowers? What has the above to do with horticulture? How does a stone floor, a zinc trough filled with water, obelisks and metal flowers catalyze the neurotransmitters in my brain?Have these so-called "knowledgeable" garden designers and those that "judge" lost the plot? From my viewpoint, as someone that recognises and appreciates the effect that colour and fragrance has on our emotions, they certainly have!I think its another case of elitism. The Emperor’s New Clothes.Flowers have a positive affect on us; they actually make us feel happier. That is and should remain the starting point for garden design, anything else is simply going off on a tangent.
airydisc
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