bump for Dougald. Thank you for introducing me to this book, Dougald. There is no email address on your GWeb profile page, so I hope you see this add-on to the thread. I'm in process of reading the book. It is not one you read quickly, so I read a chapter and think about it. The addition of rocks and mountains is something I'll have to think about for a long time. It is the way they also incorporate water into the garden. Since things are always symbolic of other things, I trust it will be in line with the Chinese style to find a suitable work-around in my garden. It won't be classical, but it will be as close a substitute as my location (and budget and capabilities) allow. I'm at that chapter about Chinese landscape art--paintings or scrolls, not actually in the garden--and that is where I'm lingering for a while. It must look natural even though contrived. What for me to do! I get the ideas of "borrowing views" and creating long views, multiple changing vantage points with openings in the shrubs and trees, always framing a lovely prospect. Some architecture....provided by my Teahouse wall, the new latticed screen going in to break up the western sunlight and block the glare of two noxious street lights uninvited to the scene. Of course there are no large expanses of land here. Mine would be no imperial site since it forms a personal and private garden on a city lot. By Friday afternoon, the tall latticed 40 foot wide screen will be installed, and I can proceed to prettying up the last section of my walled garden. I am adding no gates....that is mentioned in this book too...but instead I am locating objects or features which will be framed in the two gateways and serve to invite one into the garden. Of the two views through the openings in the latticed screen, one is of a crape myrtle (now in bloom) beside a pole with a bluebird nestbox on it. I will be able to see the comings and goings of the bluebirds building their nests and feeding their young, from the low deck off our bedroom. The other opening serves to reveal the darker territory beneath a sasanqua (camellia) where I recently located a white (plastic) tiered fountain. This fountain will not have water but will have ferns and tall spraying liriope planted, with pots of small hosta nestled in their midst. A Limelight hydrangea will provide more greenish white flower balls in that vicinity as well. This ungated opening near the door to the Teahouse is also visible from the deck off the back of our house, be it from the spot off our bedroom, or the area behind my kitchen. The entire back of our house--when the remodel is done--will be a wall of glass. It gives me an uncompromised view of the garden through the latticed screen....and privacy from all outside eyes. Except maybe for the small aircraft which pass overhead. So thank you Dougald. I hope you see this. The book is delightful.

Thanks everybody for all the nice things you said! I sure appreciate it. I owe an awful lot to all the nice folks here in the forums of GardenWeb. I've spent a lot of time in the last couple years in the lawn care, lawn mowers, and organic lawn care forums. Steffie, You asked "On your lawn, what did you use to get it so lush?" The real trick to lawn care is to know the basics. It's the basic cultural practices which are way too often overlooked and we tend to look for that special bag of something we can put in the spreader or the bottle of something we can put in the hose end sprayer (at least I know that's what I originally did!) Here are the lawn care basics: 1) Water deeply and infrequently. Deeply means at least an inch of irrigation in every zone, all at once. The goal is to get moisture down 8 or 10 inches into the soil. Infrequently means monthly during the cool months and no more than weekly during the hottest part of summer. If your grass looks dry before the month/week is up, water longer next time. Deep watering grows deep, drought resistant roots. Infrequent watering allows the top layer of soil to dry completely which kills off many shallow rooted weeds. 2) Mow frequently at the highest setting on your mower. Most grasses are the most dense when mowed tall. Bermuda, centipede, and bent grasses are the most dense when mowed at the lowest setting on your mower. Personally I mow my bermuda @ .625" with a reel mower every three days. Dense grass shades out weeds and uses less water. Dense grass feeds the deep roots you're developing in 1 above. You should not remove more than 1/3 of the grass blade when you mow. So, if you have a tall grass like fescue, you would mow when the grass reaches 6 inches and mow it down to 4 inches. If you have a short grass like bermuda, well, I mow when it gets to around 7/8" to 1" & cut it down to 5/8". You also should always mulch mow, leaving the clippings (don't bag 'em.) Why? ** Grass clippings are 80% water and decompose quickly releasing nutrients into your soil. ** Mulching provides up to 1/3rd of the lawns yearly fertilizer needs providing nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and trace amounts of micronutients. ** Mulching reduces the amount of time you spend bagging and fertilizing. ** Grass clippings donÂt cause thatch. (over watering and over fertilizing do) ** Mulching reduces yard waste by 20-40%. ** Mulching reduces the amount of water your lawn needs. 3) Fertilize regularly. I fertilize several times per year using organic fertilizer. Which fertilizer you use is much less important than numbers 1 and 2 above. But if you have bermuda, I'd suggest soybean meal if you want to stay on the organic side. It's got the most "bang for your buck" due to the high protein content. Personally I apply soybean meal approx once a month during the growing season @ 15lbs/1000sqft. As far as the 13-13-13 that you have already applied, you really don't need all that P & K for your lawn but maybe once every year or two. Fertilizers with that much P & K typically are used for veggie/flower gardens or shrubs. Turfgrass is a real nitrogen hog, so if you want to use synthetics, use something like 34-0-0, or 46-0-0 for the rest of the year. It really isn't any more complicated than that. Following these simple cultural practices will make your lawn look better than most all the lawns in your neighborhood. It's what I do & mine is the best in my neighborhood. face> Ilene I couldn't agree more! I stumbled across those cages as I was browsing in the tomato growing forum! One of the really best parts is that they break down & hardly take up any space in the garage! While I still have a few more crossover connectors to buy (they didn't have enuf in stock when I bought 'em.) This is my stuff for 5 of those cages: Happy gardening everyone! Good day, Dan

I hope I am not too late to answer your posting. I was in Britain in September and I started in South Wales and made a big upside down U, ending in Canterbury. My favorite gardens were the National Botanic Garden of Wales (I can't quite remember where in south Wales that is but you can find out about it on the web); Sizergh Castle near Kendal in the Lake District, which has a neat rock garden in a bowl behind the castle- the japanese maples were beginning to turn red and the gentians were in bloom; Chatsworth in Derbyshire with its famous water staircase and a maze; and Beth Chatto's garden, especially the dry garden, which is near Colchester, north of London. On an earlier trip a few years ago in June, I loved Great Comp, near Sevenoaks, south of London- trees and shrubs of different forms and colors in great beds. I'm sure that garden would be just as wonderful in September. Other gardens I loved were Bodnant in north Wales and Hidcote in the Cotswalds- but they would be better in June. Bodnant has a famous laburnam tunnel but that blooms at the end of May. Hidcote has a red border which would probably be wonderful at the end of summer but there is also a rose garden there which is wonderful in June. Hope you enjoy looking at gardens on your trip!

Oh my gosh! I've been back a week and the tour is still a pleasant green blur in my memory! Here's a list of the gardens we saw during the 8-day tour (all in the SW of England; National Trust properties marked by NT): West Green House, Hampshire (NT) Hinton Ampner, Hampshire (NT) The Manor House at Upton Grey, Hampshire Mottisfont Abbey Gardens, Hampshire (NT) Heale Garden, Wiltshire The Courts, Wiltshire (NT) Iford Manor, Wiltshire (!) Hadspen Garden, Somerset Lytes Cary, Somerset (NT) The Coach House (Penelope Hobhouse's house), Dorset Mapperton, Dorset Forde Abbey, Somerset Montacute House, Somerset (NT, !) Tintinhull, Somerset (NT; P. Hobhouse was once a tenant) Bury Court, Hampshire RHS Garden Wisley, Surrey It would simply take too long to describe each of these gardens, so if anyone wants more particulars, please write me and I'll be happy to share my impressions! You can read about the National Trust properties on the Nat'l Trust website: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/default.asp After the tour, some friends and I drove to the Cotswolds to see Kiftsgate Court and Hidcote Manor (NT). Kiftsgate is probably my favorite garden of all (so far), and a must see detour for anyone venturing toward Oxford or Stratford-Upon-Avon. The Kiftsgate Rose (reported to be the largest rose in the UK and which appears poised to take over the country) was blooming like mad! Also highly recommended is dinner at Marshmallows in Moreton-on-Marsh. For the private gardens, Upton Grey was a treat as we were shown round by the owner, Ross Wallinger, who almost singlehandedly restored the original Gertrude Jekyll garden. We also had a personally guided tour by the young head gardener at Heale Garden, and the owner of Bury Court (designed by Piet Oudolf) happily gave us the history of his house and garden. Penelope Hobhouse was just returned from a few weeks in the US and kept apologizing for the state of her back garden (storms had swept through while she was gone). If only I had a garden that looked half as nice as hers, storm or no! She chatted with us then turned us loose to look around (we were the only ones there), while she continued to tidy up the garden in preparation for a village fete the next day. Her influence was obvious at Tintinhull, as well. Montacute is a must for any fan of the movie Sense and Sensibility, as it doubled as the Palmer's residence, where Marianne was taken ill. Several scenes were filmed in the house and on the grounds, which are absolutely delightful. Please write if you want more info! I'm already planning next year's adventure to Scotland!