Turkey
A newly created focal point in the garden
I spent the first 2 weeks of April 2005 working in the gardens of the Yakamoz Hotel near Fetiye. Gardening anywhere is a challenge. Prevailing conditions, soil type and climate all have to be taken into account. Here I got the added interest of scorpions, snakes and the occasional earthquake. Winter rains, high winds and frost are replaced by searing 100 degree heat in the summer. A plant has to be tough to survive.
The brief was to provide colour and interest during the time when the guests were in residence. Not easy as plants in a Mediterranean climate cope with the baking conditions by going into a period of dormancy.
I had a team of 4 enthusiastic but bewildered (If you can’t eat it why grow it?) workers, all over wintering hotel staff. Trying to explain the finer points of rose pruning to someone who doesn’t speak English was a challenge! In the end we succeeded and they were all very enthusiastic to the point where one of the waiters
wants to become head gardener. I became known as the Garden Chef!
There are some terrific gardens in Turkey
"Nurseries" are chaotic plots by the side of the road. Owners seldom spoke English but we were united by the international language of gardening – Latin. A Paulownia is the same in any part of the world.
After the plants are selected you all sit down to a nice cup of Turkish tea and haggle about the price. We spent over a billion on plants! Turkish lire that is. Plants for a 3 acre site cost about £500….would have been about £2,000 here.
The mountains and countryside are gorgeous and best explored by motorbike!
This should be on its way to being a lush, colourful and verdant oasis if the oleander, jasmine, musa, geranium, cordyline, aralia, paulownia and palms all behave themselves. We should start to see some results around June, I’ll keep you posted.
The Great Garden Challenge
At the end of April Martin Gomm and I ( He of Wycliffe Landscapes) took part in Channel 4’s Great Garden Challenge. www.Channel4.com/4homes The judges were Jac Flower who was absolutely charming, James Alexander – Sinclair, very funny, supportive and seemingly a thoroughly nice chap and Chris Beardshaw. Despite judges and the public liking our Zodiac Garden we didn’t go through to the next round. We had a fantastic time, it was real challenge to see if we could pull it off, after all turf ladies and lions and fish leaping out of cans are not something we do every day but if you would like one in your garden we have got the hang of it now! In fact I have found someone who can make anything I want out of metal so unusual water features are now officially part of our repertoire.
The finished garden, including the Titchmarsh Twins…..well we never said it was going to be in good taste!!
I’m guessing this is a first…but if you would like one. ….
James was lovely, don’t believe his on screen persona!
DORSET GARDEN SHOW, CANFORD ARENA
Not content with making one show garden in a week Martin and I thought we would reprise our Garden Challenge garden for the Dorset Garden Show. We saved ourselves a lot of digging by making a raised pond from sleepers and there was no turf lion or lady but the planting looked terrific and the number of people who said " I saw that on television" when they saw the leaping fish and can was really gratifying.
Flying fish.......once seen never forgotten!