Our toddler Littl' Nicky announced this morning that he wanted to help with our yearly garden planning. I suggested a stroll outside, as it was a bright day. He led the way on a grand tour of the environs of Necky Knoll House. There was such a lot to see ... I sometimes make the mistake of thinking there's not much going on in a garden at this time of year - Littl' Nicky does not. He missed nothing!With regard to the design of a giraffe garden, I suspect ours have a slightly taller emphasis than yours, dear bloggy friends. We often juxtapose low ground-cover with very high planting, which could possibly look a little out of balance in a human garden.
Littl' Nicky has asked me to show you a picture of his best sunflower from last summer. It grew very happily by our back porch, flourishing under his conscientious watering and friendly chatter.
While looking for Littl' Nicky's sunflower picture, I came across some old photographs I had almost forgotten. Many years ago I took a part-time course in Horticulture at Raffsburgh College. (Such a rapturous and necessary contrast to work, during my accounting years!) One of our tasks was to create our own garden. Each student was allocated a long strip of land, half of which was to be planted with specified vegetables, with the other half left to our budding designer imaginations! All herbaceous plants and vegetables had to be grown by us from seed. I leave you with this photograph of my plot at the glorious digging stage. Ah, the smell of the turned earth as it thudded off my garden fork - I remember it all!
Next post - the finished design! (Can you bear to wait?)NB: Note to my bloggy friends: Thursday - I'm having trouble with my Interneck connection at present so please be patient regarding the next post - Garden Design Part Two. I had intended to publish it today!
26 comments:
Don't keep us in suspenders - as my old dad used to say , lol!!!!
Looking forward to seeing the outcome
Ah - you can't rush gardening, Jan!
Raph, what a tease you are.
Surely not, Barbara ... I'm just giving everyone the time to go through their gardening encyclopaedias anticipating which plants would be featured in a giraffe garden!
no!, but apparently wait, I must! love the sunflower story - one year I planted a bunch in front of our bedroom window and one in particular grew to be mammoth! I loved waking up in the morning and seeing it first thing filling a huge section of our bedroom window....
Hi Raph,
Love your first picture with the - long-necked robin?
Can't wait to see the finished project!
I know someone who will LOVE this post. I'll be sending them there this morning.
I'm looking forward to seeing the finished design Raph, and to getting to work in my own garden. It's lovely to see all the early little bulbs pushing up through the soil. Thanks for your good wishes, Heather.
That sounds fun, Jeane - we'll have to plant some under the windows this year!
Yes Derrick! We call them Grrrobins because, (like your planet Earth robins), they are quite belligerent, and make little growling noises if you tell them to stop eating the sprouts!
Thank you Tom! I hope they enjoy the post!
Heather - it is an inspiring time of year in the garden, isn't it! We're waiting for the snowdrops to come up in the lawn. I put little sticks in the grass all round them so I don't absent-mindedly hoof all over the growing shoots!
It must be fantastic to be a giraffe when designing a garden, because you can always see everything, as it were, in plan form!
I look forward to seeing the finished article.
This is true, Chris! But even for giraffes, some garden tasks (like weeding) can still be a pain in the neck!
Hi Raph what a great blog you ahve and such fun!!!! this one is about to be added to my list of very cool blogs to read. Thanks so much for coming over and visiting the Mad Bush Farm. And yes we do have loads of fun just like you do. And I love Giraffes!!!! The artwork you've blogged is fantastic Love it.
All the best and 2009
Liz and the Mad Bush Farm Crew
including all the animals
Hi Liz and the Mad Bush Farm Crew including all the animals! I'm really pleased that you like the blog and thank you for adding it to your very cool blogs list! Giraffitude!
I am longing to see that spring garden with plenty of high trees for a giraffle to nibble on! Now you must plant African thorn trees, giraffes just love those. How they manage to select the leaves from among those cruel thorns with their long pink tongues, I never know. By the way a giraffe in Afrikaans is a 'kameelperd' literally translated a camel-horse. Very descriptive, I think. I am collected the other 10 SA languages on that one.
Eleanor - I have just been writing a comment on your blog - what a coincidence!
'Kameelperd' is interesting; our constellation is Camelopardalis! I love languages, and the similarities between words.
There will be some nice tall trees on my garden - very nibbleable, but no thorns!
Eleanor - I have just been writing a comment on your blog - what a coincidence!
'Kameelperd' is interesting; our constellation is Camelopardalis! I love languages, and the similarities between words.
There will be some nice tall trees on my garden - very nibbleable, but no thorns!
A relief from the austerity of tracts--thank you for your blog! You have saved my day completely giraffe.
Cheers,
Clayrn Darrow
M.IV
Clay - Glad you enjoyed the blog!
I cheated - since I came late to this post. I must say, you have a great talent, Raph (and Nicky too!) I do love sunflowers. Did it attract many birds?
Kat
Thank you Poetikat!
The college grounds were always full of many varieties of birds, because of all the trees and other plants. A real haven!
Your garden design is delightful! I can see where weeding would be a struggle but I could use you to help pick the tangerines from the high branches of my tree!
Oh yes please, Dee! I love tangerines!
Dee - thank you for following!
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