Letters to garden makers

Dear Monty, The thought of being licked in the face by a dog was once anathema to me, but since being a dog owner I now see it as the ultimate dog compliment. This past weekend has been one of framing anxieties and wet dog walks. Framing frescoes which are cast plaster and are therefore heavier than your average painting - can be tricky. I have found a supplier of box frames which makes the whole process a lot easier, but the framed paintings are vulnerable when transported. I was anxious about this when sending my fresco of The Veddw via Royal Mail parcel post to John Kingdon, but it seems the bubble wrap and the brown paper tied up with string was not only one of Maria's favourite things - it also helped the painting survive its journey and gave John the opportunity to recall The Sound of Music ! I am currently re- framing a painting of  prize winning Charollais ram and ewe made for my son-in-law some time ago in the style of Hogarth's servants. The painting has

Dear Monty, £500 is a vast sum of money to many people on this planet. What I described in my previous blog as a small budget is really not so small. I know that gardens need not cost the earth to make. I read this : '.... for a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his posessions.' Life is more precious than that. Whatever the budget, life is about appreciation of the space, the sky, the green, the air, the birdsong, the insects and a chance to experience them. Plants need not be abundant, they can be few and divided into many. Repetitive planting of the same plant, or planting in blocks can make a garden. I am sorry for my ridiculous statement about the budget size - I know what matters is love, love of the space no matter what the size. Paul

Dear Monty, Having read that the BBC were looking for gardens that were waiting to be developed/changed for the new series of Big Dreams Small Spaces, I applied not thinking it would go anywhere and was shocked when the team from Lion TV got in touch. I have been wanting to open the garden under the NGS scheme for some time, but have little confidence in my gardening skills. I have wanted to create a cloistered feel, without making this small garden of 30'x40' feel too claustrophobic. The plan was to keep the vista down the garden from our kitchen, but divide the space across the garden so that there are new vistas and cloisters to sit and contemplate in. I have not been brave enough to do this and I thought this would give me the kick I needed. I went through the first stage of the process and told that filming would start in March/April if selected. Sadly I have not heard anything so it looks like no TV. On reflection, I suppose that the dream

Dear Monty, Dreams are often unsettling, yet we are encouraged to dream. I have to admit to being a dreamer. Are dreams just our own inventions, and if so are they real ? Uncannily they sometimes play out in front of our eyes. I once remember having a daydream whilst shaving in my childhood home at the age of 19. I was staring into the mirror removing the bum fluff and suddenly I was transported to what seemed to be the middle ages and I became a character in a drama which was complete from start to finish. The experience was intense, hypnotic and profound - I could taste and smell the place, I experienced the emotions of the character from pain to joy. The story was a familiar one of a man who loved his people, he was born privileged and lived in a palace, his time had come to rule his country and his people - his advisers wanted him to continue having control over the people by subjugating them - keeping them poor in order to maintain power. (Told you it would be famil

Dear Monty, It has been another wet day - but a wet day in the studio with rain hitting the window glass and a piano concert on Radio 3. I have been making a fresco of The Veddw. The photograph was taken late last summer when I had the privilege of meeting up with some friendly and knowledgeable people at the Home of Anne Wareham and Charles Hawes. The event was a precursor to a lovely www.thinkingardens.co.uk  supper at Tintern. The painting is an attempt to capture both the architectural structure of the hedges, the subtle use of colour and how the garden blends into the woodland around its perimeter. The process of painting a fresco is fraught with danger ! As soon as the pigment hits the plaster it bonds with it. I love the work of Ivon Hitchens, and in the early stages of adding the pigment I liked the loose free look of the paint marks on the surface .... the stress then is do I stop here ? Do I leave it at that ? Watercolour can appear thin and insubstanti