What ‘English style’ owes to Asia’s gardens

Our traditional national landscapes of sweeping lawns and undulating hills are deeply indebted to China and Japan

Like so many other aspects of our culture, the origins of British garden style can be traced back overseas. As an avid reader of garden history books, I can’t help but wonder if our collective compass might be a tad off when it comes to understanding the primary source of influence in classic British garden design.

In 1685 Sir William Temple wrote an essay describing the East Asian appreciation of irregularity and asymmetry

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What ‘English style’ owes to Asia’s gardens

Our traditional national landscapes of sweeping lawns and undulating hills are deeply indebted to China and Japan

Like so many other aspects of our culture, the origins of British garden style can be traced back overseas. As an avid reader of garden history books, I can’t help but wonder if our collective compass might be a tad off when it comes to understanding the primary source of influence in classic British garden design.

In 1685 Sir William Temple wrote an essay describing the East Asian appreciation of irregularity and asymmetry

Continue reading...

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Strong winds and troubled trees | Allan Jenkins

As autumn’s blustery weather arrives it’s time to take stock of struggling trees – and plant bulbs for some early spring colour

It is near winter at the summerhouse. Toadstools carpet the grass, some in clumps like fairy homes, others tall and on their own, white like ghosts. The climbing rose is still flowering, a delicate pink and strongly scented. Flocks of birds flit through the rowan, all agitated feeding. Soon they and the red berries will be gone. We have stocked up on sacks of sunflower seed for the residents.

Strong winds shake the trees, swirling leaves colour the grass. Soon the oaks and beech will be stripped of leaf, our neighbours exposed. Bo, the tree surgeon, is here to advise on the dead silver birch and the broken branches on the oak. Last year’s endless summer is still taking its toll. The oaks overheated, threw out hundreds of acorns. He advises cutting back the crown, points out the long-term damage. We will wait on any work until spring, but take a closer look when all the trees are bare.

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Strong winds and troubled trees | Allan Jenkins

As autumn’s blustery weather arrives it’s time to take stock of struggling trees – and plant bulbs for some early spring colour

It is near winter at the summerhouse. Toadstools carpet the grass, some in clumps like fairy homes, others tall and on their own, white like ghosts. The climbing rose is still flowering, a delicate pink and strongly scented. Flocks of birds flit through the rowan, all agitated feeding. Soon they and the red berries will be gone. We have stocked up on sacks of sunflower seed for the residents.

Strong winds shake the trees, swirling leaves colour the grass. Soon the oaks and beech will be stripped of leaf, our neighbours exposed. Bo, the tree surgeon, is here to advise on the dead silver birch and the broken branches on the oak. Last year’s endless summer is still taking its toll. The oaks overheated, threw out hundreds of acorns. He advises cutting back the crown, points out the long-term damage. We will wait on any work until spring, but take a closer look when all the trees are bare.

Continue reading...

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Top tips for buying a renovation property Nottingham Estate Agents

If you’ve ever been tempted by the prospect of a property that needs work – a lot of work – you’ll know that rush of excitement. And that feeling of trepidation. But the rewards can be great. We have thought of some property renovation tips for when buying a renovation property. ‘You’ve got to have […]

The post Top tips for buying a renovation property appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.

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Kraut rocks: 'Preserved cabbage is the perfect hybrid of life hack and craft'

Cabbage is a vegetable that’s conquered the world and its ubiquity has done nothing to dampen its cool factor

The arachnologist Norman Platnick once claimed you’re never more than a few yards away from a spider. There must be so many variables to this statement but I accept it, partially because my nine-year-old son spews out dangerous animal facts with earnestness and partly because I live in Australia where spiders are a fact of life.

In response to Platnick’s claim, I have one of my own: I solemnly would stake that earthlings in 2019 are never more than one meal away from eating some kind of cabbage.

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Kraut rocks: 'Preserved cabbage is the perfect hybrid of life hack and craft'

Cabbage is a vegetable that’s conquered the world and its ubiquity has done nothing to dampen its cool factor

The arachnologist Norman Platnick once claimed you’re never more than a few yards away from a spider. There must be so many variables to this statement but I accept it, partially because my nine-year-old son spews out dangerous animal facts with earnestness and partly because I live in Australia where spiders are a fact of life.

In response to Platnick’s claim, I have one of my own: I solemnly would stake that earthlings in 2019 are never more than one meal away from eating some kind of cabbage.

Continue reading...

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