Feb 25, 2008
“I’ve had a look at the Ann Pearce garden, and for I’m afraid me it sums up so much of what I really hate about modern garden design – subjectively I found it sterile and unfeeling; objectively unsustainable and wildlife-unfriendly. Sorry, I hate saying this about people’s work, but we are meant to be engaged in a debate here, and I am just going to say what I think. Give me a girly garden full of flowers. Or for that matter an old guy with loads of petunias and French marigolds at 330mm intervals. Or a load of weeds…”
Feb 19, 2008
“When I was a resident of West Oxfordshire – flat Thames plain – I became very interested in the hortus conclusus perhaps as an escape and contrast to that boring agricultural landscape in which Didcot Power Station is visible from practically everywhere. And I wanted detail, planted order and planted cornucopia to give me variety. Now I live in London and Monmouthshire amid very different landscapes…”
Feb 18, 2008
“I first saw Ann Pearce’s garden in The Times of Jan 06 and thought it was great. I took the article in to an evening class I was doing in garden design. They had learnt to look at things other than bright flower colour and were now happy with ideas of balance and proportion in the garden. But they didn’t like Ann’s garden. ‘It’s all right, but not for me’ was the general consensus. Leading people out of their comfort zone is difficult.
I confess that I was a bit disappointed.”
Feb 15, 2008
“I would like to begin my reply to Bridget’s response by quoting Stendhal …….. ‘what we find beautiful is the promise of happiness’. As we all know, the pursuit of happiness is not only a deeply personal one but also highly elusive and ever changing due to the complex world we live in. Therefore there are as many styles of beauty (or gorgeousness!!) as there are visions of happiness.”
Feb 13, 2008
Andrew Wilson responds to Anne Wareham’s article on gender and the garden world.
Feb 12, 2008
Jo Eliot comments on Anne Wareham’s article on gender and the garden world.
Feb 12, 2008
“In response to Bridget Rosewell’s comments on the need for a balance between structure and the looser floral elements of a garden, I think she has made a very important point. Balancing the two will bring harmony to any garden…”
Feb 11, 2008
by Bridget Rosewell.
“I am not interested in girly – give me gorgeous though. I would describe the Ann Pearce garden as ‘impressive’ and ‘striking’ but not ‘gorgeous’. Gorgeous implies something more?”
Feb 9, 2008
by Anne Wareham.
“Carol Klein: ‘Many viewers assumed that I’d turned down the job but in fact I was never offered it. Had I been asked, I would have loved to have done it.'”