Re: 'Britain Meets the Bay'

As a Southern Californian gardener, I agree with much of what Sean says in
his posting.  As an Anglophile of sorts (with years of English visits and a
gardening course in England under my belt), I have a slightly different
perspective.  When I visit English gardens, I try to take away what can be
translated into our climate and leave behind what is unsuitable.  I have an
enormous respect for the ways in which the English use plant materials and
have learned an enormous amount from visiting English gardens which has been
useful in my education as a gardener. For one thing, I am always impressed
by the enormous variety of English gardens and the sheer range of plant
material in them, not to mention the garden design.

Interestingly, I think that Mediterranean and drought resistant gardening is
making an impact in England, so the influences are not all one way.  I was
particularly impressed on my last visit with Beth Chatto's gravel garden
near Colchester, Essex and a garden designed by Edward Flint near Cranbrook
in Kent.

When translating this inspiration back to my Los Angeles garden, I try to
understand what works here and what does not.  (For example, I do not try to
make an English meadow garden in Los Angeles!)  Unfortunately, some who love
English gardens do not understand this.  Worse, as Sean mentioned, they
spurn drought-resistant plantings because they do not look as lush as some
English plantings.

My experience in Los Angeles (at least with my friends) is that more people
are coming to see the beauty of drought resistant plantings.  It is a matter
of educating the eye (and of not being too doctrinaire).  Although I don't
always succeed in my translations from the "English" (some plants are just
too tempting!), the crucial thing is to keep a sense of what can work here.
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