I have just bought a new cherub for my conservatory. He is a charming little thing and serves as an eyecatcher. The soaring vaults were pretty good as they were but my eye kept zooming round and round. It was dizzying. Now, it is peaceful. I walk in, sit on my cushioned rattan chair and focus my gaze on the little angel. It is a good preparation for a future life in the clouds, assuming St Peter lets me in.
With surprisingly little daylight, the effect is not unlike the suntubes which are becoming popular in the west, but the colour of the light is that of a restful dawn or sunset. A lacquered Chinese screen window, looking onto a small courtyard with an orange-gold wall and bamboo tracery.
I like Chilstone Garden Ornaments. Compared to their rivals, they chose better originals to model and they have developed a superior process for casting stone. One can well believe the manufacturer’s claim that ‘once the ornament has taken on an antique patina it generally increases in value – many Chilstone items have been sold at Sotheby’s for many times their retail value’. Chilstone was founded in 1953 and later moved to Sprivers in Kent. The four terms in the photograph show progressive phases in the weathering process. Chilstone Terms represent the four seasons – Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. the spring of 2009 the prices were £592.00 each (+ VAT).
Note: a ‘Term’ can be defined as ‘a bust on a pedestal which tapers to the ground’. Like other senses of the word ‘term’ it comes from the Latin word for boundary or limit. Many Term sculptures represent the Roman god Terminus, who marked estate boundaries. The word ‘Herm’ used in connection with sculpture has a similar meaning but is used for statues of the god Hermes.
Buying a pair of gardening gloves has become a lot harder than it used to be! My local garden store has about 50 varieties to choose from, all are suited to different jobs. My old leather gloves are fine for heavy digging but what I wanted was a pair of gloves for pulling out weeds. I don’t want my enemies to slip though my fingers but I do want to be able to feel when my fingers have got them by the throat. So I chose Town and Country’s ‘Weed & Seed’ gardening gloves. Apart from the baby blue colour, they are fine. Maybe the colour suggests ‘health care’. The cost was £3.99 for a pair in May 2009.
River-worn paving stones set in topsoil. Had cement mortar been used instead, the effect would have been harsh and moss would not grow in the joints between the stones. Earth joints require more maintenance but the effect is much more beautiful. The clean-cut lines of the edging blocks act as a foil to the timeless pebbles – and the paving itself is a foil to the rich glow of the pond in springtime.
Which is the best garden trowel?
I love to see pebbles in a garden. They are so much nicer than concrete blocks, concrete slabs or any other type of concrete for that matter!
But how should pebbles be chosen? Is is like going to a wallpaper shop and choosing the nicest pattern and the nicest colour? Well it could be. But the first thing is to find out if a local stone is available. It is likely to harmonize with your soil but more than this it gives a uniqueness and sense of belonging to your garden: granite in a granite district; slate in a slate district, flint in a flint district. This is the sustainable choice, the green choice and the best choice. Go for it!
Here is a classic garden bench. It was made in the last century but you can find similar benches today – and can be pretty confident of your great grandchildren inheriting them in excellent condition. Just make sure the paint does not flake off, especially from the feet.
But what do you think of the green? It tugs the heart strings of everyone who remembers Jaguar’s great days but some people say ‘you should not use green paint in gardens’. Their point is that because the other garden greens keep changing there is a danger of your chosen green looking out of place.
Tell us what you think!
Shredded bark is an attractive idea: it’s recycling, it keeps the weeds down, it lets the water through to the aquifer (ie its good for SUDS – Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems) and it rots down to increase the humus content of the topsoil. But it is acid. This is good if you are growing rhododendrons and other ericaceous plants but it is not good for most herbaceous plants.
Shredded bark can also be used as a path surface, with two additional disadvantages: (1) it looks folksy and not like a ‘proper path’ (2) it has to be replaced when it rots down.
So, as with most things, shredded bark is a great product when its used properly and a big disappointment when its used wrongly.
Welcome to the CrinkleCrankle Blog!
We plan to review garden products and tell you what’s hot and what’s not. The aim is to help you find high-quality products: tools, furniture, tubs, lighting, fountains, construction materials – everything to do with the garden.
Some products have stood the test of time: the primitive ard in the Egyptian painting, above, was invented about 4,500 years ago and is still used in some parts of the world; the girl’s white dress is still beautiful; the date palm is still the most widely planted tree in West Asia. But new garden products are being launched all the time and we look forward to hearing about them and passing information to our readers and helping them to make good gardens.
