Ask Jazmine

1. How did you come to join Gardeners Corner?

I joined in Sept 08 - I was with a small forum but wanted a forum with more activity. I googled!

2. Name the countries or counties you have lived in â?¦

Born in Kensington, moved around in Norfolk now living near Norwich, Norfolk. Had a year living in Billericay, Essex when OH got promotion.

3. Describe the type of work you do.

Retired but left Grammar school to work in an office- also done office temping and carework which I love.

4. Describe how you first got into gardening â?¦

As I gew up in the country I watched dad and grandparents grow their own veg and when we bought our first house I soon got planting flowers. I love to be outside in the garden

5. What would be your dream type of garden and do you think you will ever be able to achieve it?

Ohhh a cottage garden, full of beautiful flowers growing tall and some room for a veg plot.

6. Have you any particular favourites in celebrity gardeners, flowers, shrubs and/or vegetables?

I liked Geoff Hamilton and admire Carol Klein now. I just love highly scented plants ie sweet peas.

7. Have you ever entered any of your plants into shows?

No, I don't think I have a chance there! :hehe:

8. If you had a garden created in your memory, what plants do you think would most adequately sum up you and your life?

It would have delicate, gentle, fragrant and fragile flowers swaying gently in the breeze.
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If you went out into your garden, but found there were no jobs that needed to be done for the moment, do you relax and enjoy it or do you have to find something to do?

 

Hi Clueless
Good question.
There seems to always be something to do in the garden- I do relax a little and I do enjoy it.

I like to be busy so am on the go a lot, OH says I cannot sit still for 5 mins :hehe:

 

Hi, Jazmine! You say that you love being in your garden. Does this mean that you are happy with the general way in which it looks today?:D

I see that your dream garden would ideally be of the cottage variety. What is stopping you from achieving the cottage look with your present garden?:cnfs:

 

Hi Strawman-yes I am generally happy with the way it looks but I do like to see what others have done and get some ideas to do things a bit differently. When we bought this house the garden was as the builders left it so we have done everything ourselves.

I am trying to introduce more cottage style plants- I suppose what I mean is here I have a compact rectangular garden which is neat and tidy but my dream would be an older house with an established more natural looking garden if that makes sense? :luv:

 

Hi Jazmine - I would love to know your secret for your sunflowers! They always reach such heights. Do you recall what variety you use? They always seem so strong to stand on their own.....whereas mine always topple over and lean :(

I'd love to hear more about your wildlife garden - hedgehog box etc., frog house - I know you've been working on that development for quite a while.

 

Hi Natalie B
One year my sunflowers grew like triffids, that was the best year ever. I buy various seeds and just plant them in different parts of the garden and take my luck. The stems are really thick and solid this year, I did keep them well watered.

I have 7 bird boxes around the garden, I have a pond and tiny waterfall which the birds seem to love more than the bird bath. They have such fun splashing around in it :hehe:
I have a froghouse which is very well used and a hedgehog box to try to attract a resident. The frogs like that too. Oh and mice in the shed from time to time. I would never kill them though. The worst they do is eat the grass seed and make me jump.

 

Hi Jazmine, in my sense of gardening, having a natural, or if you like, cottage gardexn, this means leaving a lot to grow as it would in nature. Of course, by this I don't mean a garden full of weeds, but rather one that has no orderly design to it. There again, cottage gardens have a whole catagory of plants and flowers all of their own. I love seeing plants grown in great drifts of colour and variety. Sadly, I think that one needs the space for this sort of thing, which is why I haven't got a cottage garden, as much as I would adore one.

Compact and regular usually means a lawn with flower borders all around it. If mine was that shape, I'd do all that I could to change the shape of it. I like to lead the eye, even if it takes you nowhere. Gardening by deception is what I like. When I've been out in mine and people have walked by, they have said they envy what I have, but in truth, anyone can have what I've got. It's all a case of fooling the eye. :hehe: