And so I arrive majestically, and yet slightly out of breath (my usual mode of arrival), at the third entry in the soon-to-be legendary Horticultural blog feature known as Hot plot or not? The embonpoint front garden of Hot plot or not 2 split opinion, but the "Nots" won out with eight votes to four in the end.
If you're new to the concept, it's simple: I show you a picture of a garden, and you judge it "hot or not". This is a garden in Dorset I visited last summer. Sadly I can't remember the name of it, although I do recall it was close to Cerne Abbas, and that I was disproportionately outraged by the lack of a tearoom at the garden. Perhaps one of you will be able to jog my memory about its name.
Just add your thoughts below: please start with a "hot" or a "not" so I can tally the votes.
Not!
And what's with the bird bath obstacle course?
Posted by: Dawn | September 10, 2009 at 11:12 AM
I absolutely hate that, but maybe I'm alone. Or maybe it's just the fact of there being no tea room. A disgrace.
Posted by: emma t | September 10, 2009 at 11:23 AM
Hot: Sits well with the building and hasn’t been manicured within an inch of its life. I would secretly like to pop a gnome in their just for the hell of it though.
Posted by: Bartango007 | September 10, 2009 at 01:40 PM
'no tearoom'?! Heavens
Posted by: MarkD | September 10, 2009 at 02:40 PM
Hot only because I like the planting and the stone wall behind it (we don't have stone walls over here and I love them), but those steps really spoil the effect, and who thought that was a good place for a sundial or birdbath or whatever that is?
Posted by: Jane in Edmonton | September 10, 2009 at 03:55 PM
Sadly Not.
Good looking house. Step/birdbath arrangement very curious: maybe not a birdbath but a sort of anti MRSA hygiene station.
Planting uninspiring.
Hydrangeas: good
Crocosmia: good
But together they are a bit like Peter and Jordan: too much squabbling.
Posted by: James A-S | September 10, 2009 at 08:09 PM
It's Minterne gardens. I think they run them in a rather low-key style, no tea room, no loo when I last went!
Planting hot - how can you not love Annabelle?
Feature not - looks like someone found it too heavy to carry up the stairs and left it!
Posted by: New Shoot | September 10, 2009 at 08:11 PM
Not (at least, not from that angle).
I like the plants, including the climber on the walls. But I can't get over the way the steps are so far to the right, while the grass has that funny jagged shape. I get the feeling the idea was to make the garden look bigger and grander but it wasn't quite right.
I think if it was taken from another angle I'd have another opinion entirely.
Posted by: alan | September 10, 2009 at 08:41 PM
Not. The planting is unimgainative given the backdrop, and the gravel section is unclear - is it supposed to be a little stream? A path?
Posted by: Gwenhwyfar | September 10, 2009 at 09:13 PM
Not
But it has potential. It needs more variety in the mix. Lovely Hydrangeas, but sadly the Crocosmia's got out of hand - just like in my own garden!
Posted by: VP | September 11, 2009 at 09:19 AM
Not
Looks like one of my attempts to create a colourful border and finding I forgot to order a vital ingredient!
Posted by: Bob | September 11, 2009 at 04:03 PM
Not. It's possible I might like the hydrangea if the crocosmia disappeared. Having no toilet is a worse disgrace than no tea-room.
Posted by: Arabella Sock | September 11, 2009 at 04:36 PM
Not, but possibly hot if the path, steps and fountain are an unfinished project that will look nothing like the photo. I like the color of the crocosmia with the warm yellow stone of the house, and maybe the hydrangeas, though there are probably better choices. Definitely a Not, but not an "I hate it Not."
Posted by: James Golden | September 12, 2009 at 03:43 AM
Not.. Hate the combination of crocosmia and hydrangea. And the bird bath is in a really weird position.
House is nice, though.
Posted by: Melanie | September 14, 2009 at 04:28 PM
Not. Boring.
Posted by: Woody Wilbury | September 15, 2009 at 09:27 PM
I like it despite the obvious faults, so I vote "hot". The colors of the garden set off the building materials nicely, and the addition of the grass at the far right makes it interesting. It looks like a young planting and the Annabelles may be much more grand in another season. It is hard to get over that odd pedestal thing, though.
I love your "hot or not" idea.
Posted by: Ilona | September 15, 2009 at 11:40 PM