Sore Subject; was Street Plantings
- Subject: Sore Subject; was Street Plantings
- From: J* S*
- Date: Wed, 27 Feb 2002 15:57:42 -0800
Deborah's sore subject (and Tim and Moira's cri) hit a nerve with me as well.
It's not only businesses, but well to do homeowners and landscaping clients who
will hire a talented designer and installer to create a beautiful garden, then
expect it to take care of itself with an automatic sprinkler system and a "mow
and blow".
I know of several stellar properties where the newly installed garden has been
left to the mercy of those "keep the soil continually wet" and "whack back
everything that doesn't die" so-called gardeners. I have several knowledgeable
and talented garden detailers in my classes at the Arboretum. Every one of
them has more than one story about being hired at the recommendation of the
landscape architect or garden designer, then being let go after a few months
because "Your fees just aren't in the budget." or "My husband doesn't think I
should spend this much on the garden."
Never mind what they've spent on the property, the mansion, the designer
furniture, it's just that the upkeep of the garden doesn't rank high enough on
the list. Then their conversation at the lavish parties turns to the garden
where its poor condition is usually the fault of the designer. Yes, I've heard
it myself!
Deborah Lindsay wrote:
> Sore subject with me...when I had my own gardening
> business many years ago,people would pay for
> a good design and installation,but then expect to pay
> damn little to a maintenance gardener, then complain about the
> results and say the gardeners were lazy,etc...You get what you pay for.
>
> ____________________Reply Separator____________________
> Subject: Re: Street Plantings
> Author: tim.longville@BTinternet.com
> Date: 2/27/02 12:49 PM
>
> Re Moira's cri de coeur and Joe's comment:
>
> Seems to be a prevailing dottiness in many places, that businesses and
> institutions will fork out the initial outlay for a scheme but are very
> reluctant to budget for the proper maintenance of same.
>
> I emphasise that adjective 'proper': in these parts, at least, maintenance,
> when done at all, is often done by guys with alternative careers as
> mass-murderers, whose motto seems to be, 'If it moves - if it grows -, whack
> it.'
>
> It's depressing to tot up the amount of money wasted as a result, not to
> speak of the amount of plants killed or damaged or distorted or diseased.
>
> Tim
>
>
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Jan Smithen,
Upland, California
jansmithen@earthlink.net
Sunset zone : 19
USDA zone : 10
http://home.earthlink.net/~jansmithen/
Visit the Los Angeles County Arboretum
Victorian Rose Garden website at:
http://victorian-rose.org/
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