a conversation starter garden

A few years ago one garden on a garden tour was completely "done" from back to front and edge to edge. No compost heap. No potting shed. No pots of seedlings. No plants in nursery pots waiting to be planted out. No undone corner to tease the imagination about what might be done next. I found it unsatisfying, as though the owner had phoned up and ordered x square metres of garden, and had it installed.

Last year I revisited the same garden which appeared to have been totally redone. Still no process, no potential, no mystery - there it was, all finished.

It did have a lively effect on the visitors, though. The owner had deliberately thrown away all the labels, as she was interested only in effect, and some of her plants were very unusual. Those of us who need to know names (all of us except the owner), immediately started talking to each other. As new visitors arrived on the property, they were hustled over to the unknown plants to see if they could identify them. None of the usual discreet murmurs between a couple of friends - everyone was talking to everyone.

It might be a good idea for a "mixer" - a neighbourhood block party or a garden club get together. Maybe it would only work if the owner was locked in the kitchen, because there can't be many garden owners who refuse to learn the names of their plants.

Diane Whitehead Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

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