Archive : Jan 2002

10 Feb '04 10:27 am

TERESA : BIRMINGHAM ALABAMA
January 31st 2002
WHAT A GREAT SITE! IM VERY NEW TO GARDENING,ONLY MY SECOND SEASON,YOU HAVE TOTALLY INSPIRED ME. WHAT ZONE ARE YOU IN? MY WHOLE GARDEN IS IN SHADE, BUT IM FINDING SOME BEAUTIFUL PLANTS,MAINLY HOSTAS,FERNS AND ASTILBY. I HAVE COVERED VERY LITTLE OF YOUR SITE, IT WILL PROBABLY TAKE ME DAYS AND DAYS TO SEE IT ALL.HOPE TO HEAR FROM YOU SOON, TERESA

Erin Kilby : Ontario, Canada
January 30th 2002
Mary, What a wonderful webpage you have! And you life, oh how I'd love to live that life. I'm a new mother with another on the way and find gardening so relaxing and something that is totally mine. And have never foung something so rewarding (well parenting of course) as planting your little seeds and watching them grow. You're like a burst of fresh air on this cold winter day! I'm so glad I came accross your site! Thank you. Erin Smile

erin

Georgiana : North Georgia (US) Mountains
January 30th 2002
I just sent my garden club a link to your web site. It is wonderful and you are such an inspiration to me. What a life you live. I am happy to be able to take a virtual trip to your gardens in New Zealand especially on a bleak winter day in Georgia. Thanks for sharing the beauty of your gardens and even more, the beauty of your inner self.

Jet Heng : Penang, Malaysia
January 28th 2002
A wonderful beautiful tapestry that you have woven into nature. All I can say is that it gave me a restful and peaceful feeling of refreshing nature when I have visited your homestead. Carry on with your wonderful work. It is the sweat and grime and love that transforms the place to one of beauty and tranquility.

Don Blischke, Firebay & Moss : U.S., Washington State
January 24th 2002
Moosey.........Wow! What a beautiful selection of Flax. I would love to know where I might purchase some of these. Know of a source in the States? if not where else could I look. Thanks so much,best wishes......Don

Keiko Mastumoto : Japan
January 18th 2002
Dear Mary I read your Octover and December diary. Your pink and yellow roses are marvelouse.As the photos were taken so nice,I can even smell them. Whenever I look into your site,I think my garden unattractive. It's only a small messy enclosure,especially in winter. I love your garden'sdelicate point in somewhat wildness. Happy Gardening

Jack Bilson : USA
January 14th 2002
Beautifully "landscaped" web site; bet your garden is just as nice.

Linda Windsor : Aberdeenshire Scoland
January 14th 2002
What a great site & I cant wait to start on all the Links. Love your garden. I am an expat Kiwi from ChCh and I get very homesick for NZ and frequently log onto nzoom which is where I found you. I was actually in West Melton in April 2001 and wished I had known about your garden as I would love to visit it. I too have a large rambling country garden and it is quite a challenge with the north east of Scotlands climate to get things right. I have been trying for nearly 20 years. I must be doing somethings right because we have opened it to the public a couple of times. I have a new project for this Spring (if it ever happens) I want lots more old fashioned roses so I will revisit your site lots for more inspiration. Thanks Moosey

Pam : Fond du Lac, Wisconsin USA
January 12th 2002
WOW and THANK YOU! Fabulous site- can't do it all tonight, will have to come back to visit. Seems we have similar interests in choice of perennials, I'm nuturing a fledgling garden based on roses and I hope oriental lilies in a small city lot. I've just started last season or so a myriad of other perennials, am going for a cottage/potager style of garden. Tomatoes with roses, garlic, herbs- it's worked so far. I think feeding the bunnies veg keeps them off the roses. My husband is an ex-pat. Our spouses share same spelling of the name as well. Am wondering what zone you are in? I understand you are on the opposite side of the equator, but what is the correlate to northern hemisphere zone 4-5? Fond du Lac is a valley so our weather is usually milder than the surrounding hilly countryside. I'm trying to create microclimates and am experimenting with placement and plant choices. Most challenging aspect now is the backyard. Have a georgeous mature black walnut and an immature as well. Am growing monarda, geranium sanguinem, and pulmonaria at the foot of the mature and Engelman Ivy has been so bold as to climb it! A berm nearby blooms with tulip hyacinth, hollyhock, daylily, dogwood, hosta, iris, and blue clips. Perhaps not as well as some would do in another locale but so far it's getting better each year. I have a privacy fence along the west and north which shelters prevailing winds. Would love to find roses to fill the fence, but might need to settle for Rose of Sharon (I've read it is juglone tolerant). Each season the lawn in this 50x159' property gets smaller (the house and garage with drive sit on this space as well, so the plantable area is much smaller than that). Ergo, I am learning to garden vertically. Fortunately this home is 2 story so there is room to grow! The hops on the arches over the front walk were too weighty for a summer storm and knocked one down breaking the arch. The survivors are in the back yard now and the plan is a pergola over the walkway in spring. Would like to know how far apart your posts on the pergola are spaced. My Stephen want to use 3 4x4 posts to span an 8-10 foot distance only 4 foot wide. I disagree. Perhaps yours could offer insight. It is nice typing to you... thanks again. Pam