Wednesday, 21 March 2018
Because of getting home early due to weather, I had time after blogging to finish a wonderful book.
Some impressive accolades:
I loved it all, especially the parts about Elliott’s own experiences. Here are some of my favourite bits:
Because I have been an Anglophile since I first saw The Avengers at about age 12:
I wish there were a word for Anglophilia that included Wales and Scotland and Ireland.
I had thought that English ivy was not considered a noxious weed across the pond as it is here in the Pacific Northwest, but…
I have waffled about whether my alder grove is to be properly called The Bogsy Woods or Wood (a name suggested by my good friend Sheila (Harley Lady). My question is now answered: Wood, for sure:
My favourite chapter is called Garden Touring. I was interested to read about the organizers making sure the gardens were “up to snuff” and that a garden must provide forty minutes worth of interest.
I am a fast garden tour-er and it is the rare garden that keeps me for forty minutes on a tour day (when I am always anxious to see every one of the six or so gardens on offer). Some that can keep me that long, even on a tour day, with ease are The Bayside Garden (which I must visit again soon….as soon as our beach approach job is done!) and the Markham Farm garden and Floramagoria. I don’t think even my own garden could keep me busy for forty minutes if I were to tour it as a stranger. By the way, I hear tell that the Markham Farm garden is going to be on the Master Gardeners of Grays Harbor and Pacific County garden tour this July. I am excited to see it again.
On an ordinary day, even a smaller garden could keep me fascinated for forty minutes as long as it has interesting plants.
Fascinating:
I can’t find that garden online anymore, but another one mentioned, Garnons, is still there.
The Booby Trapped Carrot is a chapter about what I call Finger Blight.
Objects would be easier to trace than plants:
£50,000 in lost plants!:
I always picture my plant thief in Long Beach as being an older woman with a bag and a trowel:
And I always hope that she does not read this blog….
…and of course, thieves and tramplers are why our beach approach garden is now almost all rugosa roses instead of prettier and more delicate and choice plants.
This makes me want to cry:
In modern times with real life bomb scares, even in little Long Beach, we dare not even joke about these methods of deterrence:
I like this quotation by William Cobbett (from a book published in 1821, A Year’s Residence in the United States of America):
Elliot recommends three books by E.A. Bowles (for whom assorted plants are named) which I hope to read: My Garden in Spring, My Garden in Summer, and My Garden in Autumn and Winter.
I did not know this about contorted filbert (hazel):
This finally (sort of) explains to me what a laid hedge is:
If you are lucky enough to have access to the Timberland Regional Library, Elliot’s book is in their collection. I am going to put all of his books of gardening essays on my reading list.
Two days later: Like the best books, this one kept me thinking about which gardens I have toured that would easily keep me engrossed for forty minutes. Here are more that stick in my mind (and not all of them were huge; it is not all about distance and some smaller and intricate ones require walking around more than once). You can click to embiggen the photos in the older posts:
Rhone Street Garden in Portland
I do not think my own garden could take 40 minutes unless I get it together to paint up a lot of signs with good gardening quotations. I had them in place but the lettering faded off.
Charles Elliot suggests drolly that tea (tea and biscuits) or more elaborate “teas” (with finger sandwiches) keep guest lingering longer. None of the above gardens had refreshments on offer and did not need them to keep me there.
I don’t understand plant theft and I REALLY don’t understand vegetable-garden theft. My heart is broken to think this is increasing. It seems like some sort of game to the thieves rather than real need. Do people make money from selling stolen plants?
I get mad enough thinking about an older-woman [so-called] friend who used to snap off flowers — or take the whole thing if it came out in her hand — when we went for walks in parks. My arguments did no good. She’d giggle and say she wanted to enjoy them. The last time we went anywhere together, I found a beautiful plant wilting in the back seat after I dropped her off.
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That is shocking. I could have given her quite the lecture!!
A reader had a good point that veg and fruit theft could be from hunger.
Another reader told me that thieves steal his daffodils and sell them outside of restaurants!
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It is astounding to think of an entire hedge being stolen. I wonder if many people realize how hunger can drive the stealing of food. I know from reading Jack Monroe there is a huge problem in the UK . So many go hungry every day with almost no way to get food. The food banks there do not operate like ours.
The ones who steal nice garden plants are in a different category.
I am glad you accepted the nice tip from someone who saw your hard work and wanted to do something nice. Kindness should be rewarded with a big smile and a thank you. There is just not enough kindness in the world today.
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Very good point about hunger.
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Interesting insights into Anglophilia and the desire to actually enter its history. I think that is a big part of it for me. I have been trying to think of my flower thief as someone who is taking flowers home to a bed-ridden or house-bound person to enjoy. I think that charitable thinking is the only way I can come up with to not go a bit mad. I have a feeling it might be another gardener who thinks my garden has gotten away from me and that I won’t notice (which was true a few years ago, but is not true now).
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I find it very hard to be philosophical about plant and flower theft although every year I resolve to try.
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When I was working, we had boxed trees stolen from a median. Yes, 36″ boxed California pepper trees, taken from a median of a busy street with two lanes in each direction; not once, not twice, but THREE times before we finally stopped replacing it!
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Do you know when this year’s Grays Harbor garden tour will be? I looked on line but could only find 2017 info.
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I think it is July 21. Will find out!
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It is July 14th.
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I think you underestimate your own garden, and all of it’s wonderful plantings. Just from your blog pictures, I can tell there is much to see and discover, and it is truly linger worthy.
Re garden theft, the crop most likely to be stolen from community gardens here is garlic. Eh, not most likely…most definitely. And not just a random bulb or two, you will have your entire planting taken in one go.
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Terrible re the theft. I still think of that poor old fellow and his potatoes.
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We all wish that it was easy to distinguish Scotland from England, especially for the English.
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🙂
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