Giant Palms in Sheffield, crop circles at home & the etiquette of Kevin
By neily
8 comments
On a recent work trip to North this week, I was fortunate enough to have some time to bimble around Sheffield City centre, but only after two double espressos to calm the nerves – having just escaped a tram (by driving faster than Steve McQueen in Bullet) intent on mowing me down. Well ok, maybe I shouldn’t have been driving along a ‘tram & taxi only’ road but Mrs Satnav had said it was ok to do so and she is never to be argued with.
Anyway, after this terrifying ordeal I found a remarkable glass haven built between a hotel on one side and bars on the other, packed full of all plants architectural. After grabbing another coffee I spent 2o mins looking up at a 40 ft Washingtonia Robustia, and thinking ‘is there anything better than this’
There were all sorts, Fern trees, and Agarves as well as Canadian fan palms. Amongst these beautiful plants were these flowering types 
So I was more than content to sit with yet another coffee admiring the surroundings. It was then I spotted them, hidden amongst the plants were brightly coloured wooden animals – lizards, monkeys etc. All this I believe, is a bid to hold the attention of young children for more than a nano second.
Fair play, but that did get me to thinking about Kevin. ….
Kevin as you can see is a gargoyle. He was donated to me as a house warming present, many houses ago, yes quite, and has been with me ever since. However, I am alone in thinking he is great and sets the garden off a treat. The boss thinks he is rubbish and should be donated as hard core and Bali won’t even acknowledge him enough to tinkle on him, possibly not a bad thing, in Kev’s eyes.
Having just joined the world of gardeners, exactly what is the standard when it comes to accessories? Are gnomes acceptable? (Surely not, unless they resemble Halle Berry or Uma Thurman). Are water features ‘so last year’ and what consideration should be granted to wooden squirrels etc?
There is a garden near Bali Towers that has more gnomes than Snow White’s lot in a hall of mirrors. The problem I have is, it’s like an open mic talent night at a tourettes convention. Something draws you to look but you know you won’t really want to. I have no intention of getting a gnome, but have acquired..
.. to give a sense of different levels. I hope tree trunks (just out of view)and ’bits of wood under pots are acceptable? I believe each to his/her own but other thoughts on this would be interesting.
Finally and please don’t repeat this, in case of publicity, but we have at Bali Towers the first crop circle to be located in a front garden, and here is the proof….
The boss reckons its next doors cat or possibly the badger seen trotting down the pavement at all hours but that’s just ridiculous, I can’t see why a cat could possible want to fool us into thinking aliens had landed.
Just in case though, I have been trying to get Young Bali to stand guard, (or at least lie down on guard), just like Billy and his late but great mate, Fred, used to in the park whenever I mentioned the word.. 
…Squirrel.
18 May, 2010
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Comments
I've seen far uglier gargoyles than old Kev neily ... he's kinda cute really!
18 May, 2010
your garden your choice: there shouldnt be 'garden police' . one mans meat another mans posion. sorry but if you like it then that is fine by me.
i got fed up of being told that i shouldnt grow this/that as it wasnt fashionable.
i put in a conifer bed in 1997 and let people curl their noses up. the conifers give me immense pleasure.
18 May, 2010
He could Grow on You!
I gave my daughter Jan and family two gnomes once because they looked so 'different' from the norm - but I have never seen them in their garden. I don't like to ask. Yesterday we had other daughter, Kay, husband, grand-daughter and two Great-grandsons visiting and we all went to lunch at Jan's but although I walked around the garden and took 92 pics I still couldn't spot the gnomes. I wonder if they will turn up here one day? At present I have one stone cat and an old boot but may feel the urge to seek more garden ornaments now that I've seen Kevin. I rather like bronze herons, ducks and geese but they wouldn't really look at home here. At our previous house we had a stone tortoise named HOMER, 5 bluetits on a small branch, stone frog - maybe more but I can't remember. Never seen a real live crop circle but those two dogs on the tree trunk look sooooooo real. Hmm!
18 May, 2010
Kevin is in demand then. Blimey, who would have thought! Bill and Fred are indeed real, although Fred is no longer around, he's off chasing rabits in the clouds! He was a great chum, but never worked out how to run in circles - only straight lines. Spent hours searching for him.
Garden Police - good name, like that, I bought some grasses at the weekend, which caused some derision I must say, but I'm hoping they will grow and soften up the appearance of the paving. We did have a set of hand crafted wooden toadstools, but they got very weather beaten and have been 're-cycled'.
May have to get Kevin a friend. I'm off to North Cornwall next, so who knows what I can find.
I think it would be good to 'ask' about the missing gnomes, just to see what the 'reason for their non-appearance' is........
18 May, 2010
I agree with Seaburngirl. It's your garden so have what you want. I do in mine. I have what I want , not what someone else tells me I should have.
I think the gargoile is cute lol, but I wonder what caused the " crop circle "
18 May, 2010
I agree I have two gnomes but they are rather special - my Dad made them in 1969 (date on the bottom!) and they are two of the Dwarfs (as in Snow White) but the only two left and I wouldnt get rid of them for the world (Dad died when I was 18 so they are special). I also have a stone cat which my kitten thinks is real (quite funny first time she put her paw on it) but to be honest its your garden so its your choice!! As to your crop circle I have seen this happen after snow has stayed on for a while - did you have snow recently or has it only just happened?
19 May, 2010
Did have a load of snow, but this has happened since. Reports from Bali Towers state all is well, with Brandon (fern tree) pushing up his 15 new frongs. Looking good for 20! Cornwall is hot, and as beautiful as gardens in Port Isaac are, there do seem to be an awful lot 'standard' blue pots. I was hoping to see loads of original pot ideas - chimneys etc. will post photoes later. Ah well, back to the deck chair and Rise Against on the ipod.
Love the idea of special gnomes or anything in the garden that holds special thoughts.
23 May, 2010
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I think Kevin's greatI would give him garden room, But then I own a set of seven dwalves, on toadstools of course. Two dragons and a gnome who keeps trying to escape.............
So I don't mind it my option is ignored
Sandy
18 May, 2010