We’re wondering about doing a book, about Veddw, which will (if we can persuade a publisher) include some of the history of making it. We’re wondering if that would be interesting?
To help us discover, I’m putting up some photographs from our early days – please let us know if they whet your appetite to know more?
Just to make a path. Which involved getting several boulders out…
Recognise this view? It’s the view you get coming in from the car park today.
And the way it looked this morning.
Yep – there was always a boulder just where you wanted to plant something.
There was always a wood pile to deal with. And we put the greenhouse in the wrong place.
Another boulder. Useful that we had been left an RSJ by our predecessors. They used it to support a washing line.
We used to be able to grow poppies – if not much else at the time. Please don’t tell me you prefer this – they have a very short flowering season!
Starting out with ‘Cottage Garden’ style… May I say ‘yuk’?
Beginning a rebuild of the Ruin.
The Cornfield Garden. Currently nearly back to this, apart from having hand made (in every sense) brick paths.
Nurtured from tiny seedlings, the yew was at last planted out.
Yep, a wood pile…. and an incipient path.
Early Veg Plot, when it was about to become an actual Veg Plot.
I bet you thought it had all arrived by magic???!!!
Do let us know what you think?- here in the Comments if possible.
Anne Xxxx
Yes Iâd be interested- I always find the history and journey of a garden fascinating
That’s encouraging – thanks. Xxx
Please do write this book – it will inspire others that vision,graft,time and patience is what makes a great garden. Instant gratification it is not.
True re instant gratification. It gratified not one little bit for a long long time. Why ever did we do it??
I would definitely be interested by a book about Vedww ! My curiosity goes to the reason of the hedges design : how did you get the idea? How did you manage the proportions ? Photos of the beginning make the views now even more’impressive !
O – questions help. will try to answer them. Thank you. xXX
When I saw the JCB photo on Twitter, my first thought was “What the hell are they doing now!”. Then, as I read the post, I realised (from your hair) that we were looking at history and that black is better than white. Please write that book. I have visions of a “conversation” between you and Charles about how your personal visions coincided, differed, changed (a-la Christopher Lloyd and Graham Rice).
I think we will, if we can……and yes, we’re thinking conversation. Did Lloyd converse with Graham Rice somewhere in print?
The book is “Garden Flowers from Seed”. My copy is a Viking Penguin imprint. I think it’s now out of print. If you can’t get a copy from your local library, let me know and I’ll *lend* you mine. The two of them “chat” about their experiences with various grown-from-seeds things. It’s not a “Dead Friend and Gardener” concoction; much less formal in tone. I can really see you and Charles hitting it off (OK, hitting each other a bit) and making the development of Veddw a meeting of minds, adding personality to the garden and so adding to its “life”.
Sorry “dead” was an autocorrect change. I did type “Dear”.
yes please! At first I thought it might make a long article, but a 25 year story can’t be told in a quick read. Your pictures show how a fairly ordinary garden on a field site has changed to what we know and love today. Struggles with boulders, raising yew and hollies from little seedlings, changing palette of plants over time – as they say, bring it on. I will buy this book.
It’s over 30 years and there was no garden at all when we arrived! Delighted to hear we have one sale already. Xxxx
Two thumbs upđ Yes please, would be a fascinating read for a long distance admirer (Australia) unlikely to ever see your magnificent garden in person
I would hope we could give you a nearly visit then, Peter!
Yes please! I’d definitely buy on spec. I’ve hoped for ages that you’d do this.
That’s good to know. Fingers crossed then……
Yes, write the book! Lots of before and after photos to help really understand the massive investment of time, love, sweat, vision and perseverance (and money!) that has gone into it. But also to give encouragement, inspiration and education to other gardeners faced with a seemingly impossible-to-shape wilderness. Plus it’s history, and it’s important to capture that.
The history of the land is very important to me so that will have to find its way in, along with our efforts. And I would hope it could be encouraging – we see maybe too little of what people can do with much comparatively few resources compared with the celebrity designers and landscapers. I devoured such books when we were struggling.
The photos are intriguing and illustrate really well the creative process. Knowing how ideas morph over time fascinates me, so anything that shows that or talks about it makes for a good book. I claim sale number 2.
Well, I hope it will be a sort of swop, Pat! XXx
It would make for an interesting story, Anne, especially since you have photos.
Hello,
Oh, yes. It doesn’t need to be said that any book you write would be well written and informative.
What would be really interesting is getting insight into how you made decisions. Garden making, like painting, is all about decisions and problem solving. There are, I’m sure, any number of funny stories you can tell about surprises both pleasant and unpleasant; but if you can recount to us lesser garden makers the process you went through and the choices you made to get to your goals, that would be well worth the price of the book.
Good luck
Ed Morrow
Carmel Valley, CA
Noted – will be there, mistakes and all…
I would buy that book, especially if you wrote it and were your fine opinionated self through and through.
Ha! You’ll get Charles opinionated self all through too!!
I think itâs a great idea. Lots of people would be interested surely. Gardeners, landscapers, local interest, deckchair gardeners….
Itâs a good idea. Good luck with it.
Thanks. I rather like the idea of people reading it in their deckchairs!
I also think a book would be interesting, especially with your great photographic record of the changes, I liked the idea that one commenter had about the impact of discussions or disagreements between you and Charles. If publishers don’t snap it up, it may be worth publishing it via crowd-funding, as that taps into people who already know Veddw and you.
Thank you, Alexandra – for the encouragement and that back stop idea! Excellent. Xxx
Yes, absolutely YES! The book would surely be a treasure! And I will make Grace buy her own so I don’t have to share… đ
O, that’s a GREAT idea!!!! XXxxx
The photos are great and illustrate the challenge of decision making – how to go from a bare plot to a fundamentally finished garden? A text explaining that process and its trial, tribulations and mistakes would be fascinating, and I think sellable to a publisher.
Thank you, – encouraging. It begins to feel obvious, doesn’t it? Xxx
I’d buy it
Brilliant!
I’d say a definite ‘yes’ to this and agree it should be internationally available. The thinking behind your style, how you would encourage others to look at the canvas that is their garden etc. LOADS of photos.
Ah, yes, well, – what it is to have a photographer in the house…. Though strangely he used to prefer to photograph other people’s gardens, because he got paid for that! Xxx
Fantastic idea and I look forward to it, just as we feel we’ve done as much to our garden as our energy and finances allow. I craved a book like this and never did find one with the sort of hands-on stuff which you propose and I desperately needed. Plenty of gardening books, of course, all extremely vague on relevant detail and little internet information either at that time. I guessed they’d all had a man in, even a ‘little man’ in those days and so the books were often long on theory and short on practical information. My not so little man and I did manage eventually but mostly re-planted our first scheme, often our second and even now we’re eyeing up more. And no, we didn’t find the immense task satisfying, we found it bloody hard work, learning curve or no. It would have been so much better if we’d been helped to get it right the first time.
Encouraging – thank you. It was pretty much like that for us, so it could certainly have an historical interest!
Ooh yes please!!
If we can!