Hey Presto! It's GONE!

~ have you decided what you will put in place yet and are you going to try for a mature tree or a sapling?

Ah, Arlene, yes to the mature tree, I am going to pay mega-bucks for one. It has to be, to get something that doesn't look silly, as a tiny one in a pot would do. BUT - our tree-surgeon is hunting at his sources of large trees to find what we want - so it will be what he can find that's suitable. He does understand what I want.

~ yes,
~It's goingto be the only way to restore balance to your gorgeous border~ but must be exciting to not know exactly what you will get!

Great blog Spritz, sounds like you have had 'him' hard at work! lol glad to hear it, don't want him getting to compfy infront of the sports T.V. do we lol. look forward to seeing its replacement.... Juniper not huspand lol

We remember seeing the Juniper in your border when we made our visit.

We can see why you wanted to remove it.

At least youv'e got plenty of time to think about a suitable replacement.

Another point is.... you will now have a totally different view over this part of your garden from the seat in your summer house and from other locations too.

It might be a good idea to take a walk around in order to look at the border from all different aspects including a view from the seat in the summer house. This might help you to decide what to plant as a replacement or add as a new 'feature' to fill the space.

The last photo looks rather nice as you can see a view of the summerhouse now the Juniper has gone.
It is a lovely architectural feature.
A really large tree might block this interesting vista again. As you say it needs some careful thought......

How about a 10 ft. tall statue of 'David', Grenville? White marble, of course! LOL.

Yes, I take the point - but, of course, NOW is the time to plant new trees and I am not going to sit out in the kind of weather we've had today - now would you? I will walk round a bit tomorrow, though, and look at the new view.

~the statue would look good!

Spritz oh no, not a 10 foot high white marble statue of David- they've been done to death in some gardens. He will need a fig leaf as well, and just think of the view of his rear end from your summer house. It will put you off your cup of Earl Grey and chocolate cake .....We avoid statues of David like the plaque!

Now a life size Bronze copy of The dancing faun of Pompeii or a classical stone urn on a plinth beautifully planted up.... is more like it lol!

On with the thermals Spritz.
Iv'e been out there in the garden in minus 5 degrees sipping brandy with my thermals on.

I should have taken you round the village to see a garden which has white 'stone' statues in it - big ones - I do believe that one of them IS 'David' !!! I could ask to borrow it to see the effect, couldn't I!

BTW - when I say a big tree, it will not be very tall. It just has to be a more mature specimen than the potted ones you can get at GCs.

Thank you for sharing that image with us Grenville.
I was deep in thought trying to consider what would be best Spritz - now I all I can suggest is a statue of Grenville in his thermals sipping a brandy.

All commissions seriously considered Bonkers. However any personal likeness of yours truly has to be cast in Bronze. We dont do cheap and tacky!

Spritz PLEASE resist the temptation to borrow the statue from the garden in the village Lol!!!

LOL - That does not bear (or possibly on this occasion spelt bare?) thinking about, BB! The paying public in June might demand their money back, or else run for their lives!

SORRY Grenville - only kidding!

You can place the bronze of myself at the gateway as a welcoming feature Spritz as long as Henry doesn't
mis - behave against the statue!

spritz - there is an excellent small nursery in Somerset - PMA Plant Specialities (website www.junker.co.uk) you might like to check out. They stock a small selection of trees but a large number of different cultivars of the ones they do sell. Karan Junker is extremely knowledgeable and helpful - I had a long discussion by e-mail with her earlier this autumn before choosing an acer and a cornus. She has also written a book 'Gardening with Woodland Plants' that I think is an excellent reference book for anyone with a shaded plot.
Failing that you could comission a statue of a bear
(Bruno and Barney said they'd come and visit for a holiday)

Well Spritz obviously Andrew giving you the best practical advice so cant argue there.

However a statue of Grenville has to be better than those 2 naked gardeners and they open their gardens to the public ! lol gross.Let me near him with secateurs.Hey presto its gone !

I'm referring to a statue of myself wearing my thermal gloves folks......I always wear them when the temperature drops below freezing as I'm doing my gardening, and I'm fully clothed!

Really Bonkers..... you are very naughty. You made me blush with embarrassment!

I think a lifesize statue of myself wearing my thermal GLOVES would be rather charming in any garden setting!

OMG if I can get the wrong end of the stick I will .Grenville please we have not all had the benefit of your education
PLEASE explain things to me in simple terms ! Lol thermals to me in Yorkshire are heavy duty long johns !

I have never heard of 'Long Johns' Bonkers.

Is there a Yorkshire connection with Pirates somewhere?

I think Ive led a very sheltered life!

Oh no Grenville dont get me started surely you heard of these - can anyone else support my definition before Grenville and I talk about pirates pieces of eight parrots and what happened to Peter !

LOL....... i,m not getting involved with this , it,s to smutty ........LOL

Only joking Bonkers. I used to see them flapping on the washing lines when I was a child.We won't go down that route!!!

Aww Amy its not smutty surely you heard of long johns ?
If someone said thermals to you what would you think of ?

You wicked chap lol Grenville night night.

~we are obviously from that part of the UK, BB where thermal~ie long johns~ means neck to wrist and waist to ankle one piece coverage like my grandad used to wear~and my gran used to have them spotlessly white on the line where they would dance a jig in the wind!
~way before central heating~ thermal heating!

~ funnily enough we have just bought my dtr and son in law the latest version of high tech under motorcycle suit top and pants and they bear no resemblance to long johns!more like dance wear but they certainly do the job!and they do wear underwear as well~ so no need to blush Grenville unless it's with the warmth they generate~they are a good idea if you have to be out in minus temperatures!

I am just rolling about laughing here - and to think all this started with a tree falling apart! Now I have such a great choice of a feature to replace it! You will have to stand VERY still, Grenville!

~ it's good to have a laugh Spritz~in the midst of financial turmoil and invasion by cows~thank goodness for GOY!

I think the dog picture said it all. Damn, there went my fire hydrant.

Not to be insulting, but I think there are wonderful alternatives out there to refill the Juniper impaired garden. IMO it was an exclamation point in your garden where a comma was needed.

What a laugh reading these comments.lol
I must agree with you Spritzhenry that a mature tree would be the best choice.
Are you really going to let it be up to someone else.? That surprises me. I don't think I'd want that myself. Better make sure you're satisfied with it first.

Looks Great Spritz :) Cant wait2see what tree u replace it with :)

Only Joking Bonkersbon , funny we were discussing long johns with an old local chap only the other day ... He told us that his father at the beginning of winter would rub duck grease or similar all over his body.. then put on his long johns and that he didn,t remove them after that untill the spring ,....... can you imagine the smell .. yuk

Good morning Spritz.

I've had wonderful dreams (and horrible nightmares) all night about this tribute garden statue of myself wearing my thermal GLOVES!

Please don't ask Bonkers to make the initial casting of 'yours truly' in plaster, before its sent to the foundry for the final cast in bronze.

He might have his secateurs hidden behind his back.

I hate to think what could happen!

I could end up like Venus de Milo with one arm missing, or my body parts all re-assembled in the wrong order!

Funny enough my late husband was a bricklayer, and in winter when it was really cold he would wear longjohns under his work cloths, he use to tell me that alot of the lads on the building sites use to wear womans tights to keep warm.

Clarice--- what is the world coming to?

Beefy builders wearing womens tights and while they are climbing up and down ladders with bricks in their hods on the building site. We never hear of this in the South West do we Spritz?

I'm well and truly shocked.

Spritz I need a cup of Earl Grey and a piece of chocolate cake to sooth my nerves!

well,Grenville, I hate to disagree with you, but close your eyes and imagine your bodyparts re-assembled to be cast in bronze as a modern sculpture.

By George, I think he's got it! A feature unique to this world! Picasso-esque!

As to burly builders in tights, the mind boggles. I do hope they donned their dungarees on top - or out with the chocolate cake !

I prefer the neo- classical if I'm to be honest Spritz!

This doesn't stop does it?

It's all Bonkers fault...... egging me on!

~this will be a must on everyones itinerary~

Think you all managed pretty well without me after saying goodnight .

My fault Grenville ? Dear innocent Spritz is offering to re arrange your body parts and its my fault ?lol

Well I can't resist this one! First of all Barbara I can't say I feel sad to see a juniper go. Hope you replace it with something wonderful! Now as for bonkers, of course it's all his fault always is always will be! LOL! Yes long johns, very well known in Wisconsin U.S where my husband came from. Yes he wore them faithfully and did'nt take them off till well into decent weather (don't say it folks, of course he took them off to be washed! hehehe!) The big joke in our family was as being German his grandfather called them Goobagotchers or something like that, anyway my sister-in-law (she should have known better) went into a Sears store in Idaho our first winter there and asked the clerk where the Goobagotchers were (I swear she was dead serious!),... while we were all snickering and rolling on the floor laughing!

Dont be put off or fooled by all of Bonkers 'sweet talking' in his last comment Spritz.

We might be from the West Country but were not related to the Worzels!

The South West Gardeners Mafia is very shrewd.

We have the Owl as our Motto, and the Latin inscription 'Owlus astutus'

Ha ha and poor Spritz thought she was safe attempting to talk about gardening . Thank you for the endorsement Pollyanna !

Owlus astutus? Arent tutus those little dresses ballerinas wear? Yes I can picture you all wearing them - oh I really wish I hadnt esp over long johns.Goobagotchers sounds much better one for Lori and her definitions list surely.

how about a verigated false caster oil plant they grow quick,look a bit tropical and are evergreen including flowering in the winter for some strange reasen

P.S. Builders weren't the only men who wore ladies tights to keep warm outside in winter, I had a colleague who wore his wife's tights under his trousers on his 'playground duty' days during the winter months.... ours was a very exposed, blustery playground!
I wonder how many gardeners do the same ?