Ask shiney

1. How did you come to join Gardeners Corner?

I can't remember the question I wanted answered but I asked 'Which? Gardening' the question and they told me to try GC.

2. Name the countries or counties you have lived in.:

Born in Derbyshire, brought up in 'Ackney, London, moved to the Essex/Hertfordshire border 47 years ago.

3. Describe the type of work you do.

Retired but have done many jobs many of them concurrent: carwashing, barrow boy, accountancy, merchant navy, maths teacher, hairdresser, consumer advice, business advice, advertising, personnel, charity work, business management (mail order company and photographic agency) and lots of others.

4. Describe how you first got into gardening.:

The first house we moved into had a very well kept garden and this started us off. Mrs shiney had never had a garden and took to it like a duck to water. She quickly became very knowledgeable, even called everything by its Latin name and knew why it was named. Her enthusiasm was catching - except for the Latin bit.

5. What would be your dream type of garden and do you think you will ever be able to achieve it?

I honestly couldn't answer this. I love our garden as it is - even though we keep changing it. It doesn't have a theme but has all different types of plants and is made up of lots of different 'rooms'.

6. Have you any particular favourites in celebrity gardeners, flowers, shrubs and/or vegetables?

I don't know of any celebrity gardeners and never watch them. My favourite flowers are the wide variety of wildflowers we have - particularly the bee orchids and the many different coloured cowslips. I don't have a favourite shrub - we have hundreds (literally) and they all share my affection equally. My favourite veg - runner beans of course.

7. Have you ever entered any of your plants into shows?

I haven't, but Mrs shiney enters them and has won quite a number of prizes - no money, just certificates. I can't remember which plants they were but last month she won prizes for an orchid and some tomatoes.


8. If you had a garden created in your memory, what plants do you think would most adequately sum up you and your life?

Is there a plant called 'Nosey Parker'?

 

Hi Jazmine,

Yes, we open our garden every May. We don't advertise it on the road as there are problems parking. All the publicity is done by word of mouth and we select what charity we want to support.

Here is a link to the info I put here on GC this year and my first post on it has a link to the photos of our garden last year.

(I've removed the link as it changed with the latest update of GC and here's another link to my garden)

http://gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/events/16432-sneak-preview-open-day.html



This year the money the charity has received is getting close to £1,500

Update:- Our open garden in 2011 raised £3,500

 

Thanks Peri :thmb:

I have been asked, on another forum, to serialise my life at sea. I've started but don't really have enough time to do it. I've also been asked, elsewhere, to write up some of my world travels but have the same problem - lack of time.

 

A difficult one to answer .

I think our greatest achievement in the garden is actually managing to get it ready each year for open day.

Biggest 'Learning Curve' - learning that I don't know enough, do enough or end up with what I envisaged. So I potter along and am happy with whatever the garden manages to surprise me with :hehe:

 

Update:

The money raised at our Open Garden each year has risen gradually due to recommendations, people very kindly putting it in their diaries for the following year but especially because of all the help we get from volunteers. Helpers to work in the kitchen (tea, cakes, cream teas etc.), selling plants (over a thousand sold in a day!), book stall, craft stall, at the entrance, raffle and professional and semi-professional entertainers giving us non-stop entertainment.

We also get a jolly group from GC attending each year.

2017, we have raise well over £5,000 and had over 500 people turn up.

All proceeds go to a local charity for mentally handicapped children.

Update:- 2019 £5,500

Update:- 2020, not allowed to open the garden (Covid) but have now raised well over £3,000 from sale of plants and some generous donations from regular garden visitors.

 

Absolutely nothing different. I've loved everything I've done, enjoyed my work and private life, learned from the small mistakes I have made and have been married to a wonderful woman for over 50 years.