Comments Please?

[MissPiggy]

Hiya All,

For my d.t (design technology-graphics) coursework i decided to design a garden!

Now i have got to my evaluation and i need some comments and Criticisms(i can spell it now i copied it from our conversation J!! ) about my 3-d model.

I am going to put some pictures on here of the four parts of the model.

I would be really grateful if anyone could post there thoughts/comments/Criticisms about it.

Thanks,

Lorna

Just thought i would add some comments i have allready:

[davric]

Love the one on the far right, would you like to put it to the test and come and do my back garden???????

[heresmo]

Hi Lorna

FWIW:

It's difficult to see from the pics exactly what is happening I'm afraid.

In general, depending on the size of a garden, the idea is to have pathways which "walk through" and lead to interesting bits - eg a bench seat or pergola, which could be out of sight until it is reached.

I would suggest generally that your pathways need to be more fluent - in 2 & 3 for example they are blocked off in the middle.

Symmetrical gardens are very difficult if not a nightmare, since they imply a formal setting where maximum maintenance is necessary to keep everything just so, and are not the friendly "pottering" type which most people tend to love about nature, seeing different plants in different parts of the garden.

Of the four, I would prefer No. 4 but with less space devoted to the blue pond? and with the dead-end path linking up, and with perhaps some wild or free-flowing (tall) flowers or grasses to add movement and interest.

No 2 has too many sharp points (bad feng shui), but if the 8 elements were brought into 3 or 4 in a more curvy random fashion, then I could go with that.

No 1 looks like the path I would take after a few in the pub, though I'm not sure I would like it cast in stone as proof!

Small turfed areas are a nightmare, unless you want to go out there with your edging shears / strimmer. Could perhaps suggest a limited amount of grass with perhaps some areas being "pea" gravel, and others brick paving, as well as the main larger paviours for the pathways.

Shrubs always grow (though hebe is quite slow growing, as is box) indicating that these are better placed in their own corner rather than "standing proud" in a central area. There are two or three ornamental trees which can provide a focal point and require little maintenance (assuming correct soil conditions or they die).

Safety-wise, ponds need to be gridded over where kiddies might be and many opt for a water fountain instead. (Consider the problems with the Princess Diana memorial fountain and stream.) If kiddies are running, as they tend to, it's a good idea to have a running space included with the "interest" items set around.

You probably didn't want to hear any of this did you? I'll get my coat... :peepwall:

How many designs do you have to submit? What is the approx size of the garden and it's purpose? Go on, give us a clue...

Regards

Mo

[MissPiggy]

Hiya Mo,

No-that is all useful!

Ok-going back to the start:

I had to design somethign for my graphics AS coursework, my ideas page consisted of designign a new kitchen/bedroom, a golf course, garden.. taht sort of stuff. so i opted for the garden!

I had to do all teh coursework with a "lient" in mind. But as it was for more than one person i made my "client" as Marlborough. so then i did a questionnaire to find out what sort of gardens the people of marlborough would like. They mostly said victorian, modern, water and japanese. And they wanted 4 themes to the garden-so hence why there are four diffenret themed bits.

I ahve to ahve about 8 A3 pages of designs in my folder work but i ahve made the one garden. The scaled down model is um 600mm by 700mm! With each garden being 250mm x 250mm.

Hope taht helps to explain things better!

Lorna

[pixi]

Where's the sun bathing area??????????

[bryand]

I think I like No 3 - with the stepping stones - the best, but maybe it could be improved by linking the two big ponds e.g. with a waterfall to create movement.

Pixi can sunbathe on a lilo in the big pond.

[heresmo]

Hi Lorna

Victorian, modern, water and Japanese eh? Phew! But if you have 8 pages, you can offer a profile view as well as an aerial view methinks? And A3 will give some scope for showing detail also. The first thing is good, i.e. that you are fitting the designs to requirements so you have "a brief" to work to. (Not that any client is ever easy to please...

So, Victorian would possibly be an oblong lily pond with paving and seating around. Victorian gardens did tend to be angular and symmetrical, though would usually incorporate at least one statue, perhaps as a birdbath also, and lots of typically English flowers through the season, eg fritillarias, snowdrops, harebells, tulips, roses, gypsophilia and forgetmenots, poppies, and even nasturtium and agaeratum(sp?) as ground cover. Usual with fruit orchards, or at least and apple and plum tree in a small garden. Yes, often a sundial, but normally offset to be viewed from a path.

Modern means? If it means typically young, small, low maintenance, in keeping with house style.... then consider colour matching to house of all bricks, gravel, paviours used and go for low maintenance (hose pipe rather than lawn mower) and typical use. For example, a barby and bench seating / picnic table occupying two corners, a nice sweep of bricked area in a nice swirly shape for people milling around, perhaps with a low dry-stone wall along the main pathway for extra seating and drinks/plates etc, plus a mix of gravel with plantpots, shrub-planted beds, a colourful splash of a very small flower garden and a small trickling (soundwise) water feature - all set into the coves determined by the shape of the bricked assembly area. Obviously uplighting (coloured) of specimen shrubs or trees wouldn't go amiss.

Water is easy if that is the true requirement, since water is the main feature and all else should be minimal so as not to compete with it. So with a decent pump, start the water high (at 4ft for example you can get it to "sheet" down a 2ft drop, then have it run over a shelf which causes it to splitter and splatter, finally settling in a calm small pond below. In other words, water means levels for maximum effect and some seating to sit and enjoy it on paviours (nothing worse than soggy grass), but perhaps nothing more than grass for the remaining area, aside from shrubs at the border. A small rock garden around/behind with alpine plants will add tons to the natural look.

Japanese = less is more. Planting can be difficult but essentially "clean" is the keyword, eg white stone chippings (bedded-down for pathways), a wooden bridge even going over nothing. Meaning, gives a higher view of the garden and can perhaps look down at one side to a nicely planted area. with the other possibly no more than the incline of the slope you have engineered, but with a cherry-blossom, magnolia tree perhaps or cammelia(sp?) strategically placed for eye-level (each occupying it's own space to keep the "clean" look). Must have water, but as an "element" (eg fire water etc) so subdued and not dominating in any way. Simple pathways are important, so as not to disturb Nature.

You can tell that I'm just going for typing practise now can't you.

If you can get visuals from the entrants for the Chelsea Flower Show, it would be good, though my effort at the time was that they show little on their official website, though I guess they might do a DVD.

Mo

[heresmo]

Dear Lorna

I was wondering why your picture, originally the second one, was rattling in my brain. It is because the ones I have seen are hexagonal rather than octagonal and are circular with a circle in the centre (i.e. cutting off the sharp points and allowing the pathway to go around the central sundial) i.e. much less "harsh". Unfortunately, if you changed yours to suit, it could be considered copying rather than original design so I'm not sure how much you are helped by knowing this, except that six is closer to the golden section and thus considered more aesthetically acceptable as to how our brain perceives what "looks right".

Re the Chelsea Flower Show, any prospective new entrants have to meet many standards. Therefore they must have an information pack of their expectations including prior entrants' results of the actual shows, which they might be prepared to give you as a student-project person. I don't know, but might be worth a shot, as also might the Royal Horticultural Society, as also might the Beeb who did the 6-gardens prog but normally charge for their videos. The Beeb also covers the Chelsea Flower Show of course.

More typing practise.

Best

Mo

[oilymoyle]

The best evaluations always refer back to the methodology and question the suitability of your methods in obtaining your primary (questionnaires,surveys, etc) data. An unreliable method of collecting one set of data means that to some extent your research is inaccurate and a good evaluation will connect through to possible inaccurate results/conclusions.

Best way to get good marks is to find your specification on the web and tailor make your evaluation to get best marks. A good way is to choose one method that you feel was not that good and rip the methodology for that measurement apart by suggesting problems. Then rewrite the methodology for that measurement so that the data collected will be more accurate. Then if you didn't guess, make the link that this new improved methodology to more accurate results/conclusions.

Sorry if my post is boring.

[ncarring]

I like 1 and 2. I'm not sure it's important for them to have names. Japanese gardens tend to have small, well tended trees, areas of gravel, features such as buildings or lanterns, and running water, with bridges and curvy paths to add interest. They try to emulate landscape in miniature, sometimes incorporating parts of the real landscape as a backdrop to give an impression of depth.

Not sure what the thing in the corner of No 3. is? And No. 4 is dominated by the ponds, and doesn't contain much else. How big is the full-scale garden area meant to be?

[carefree]

Where's the sun bathing area??????????

Trust you

[heresmo]

Hi Lorna - Got a video recorder?

The Great Garden Challenge - Channel 4 each day this week at 2.15-3.15 pm - right up your street.

How's it going? When's it due in? Will we get to see your finalised designs? Will the result of this have any bearing on your chosen career (just a small point)?

I think we should be told....

Mo

[a14nsh]

Hiya All,

For my d.t (design technology-graphics) coursework i decided to design a garden!

Now i have got to my evaluation and i need some comments and Criticisms(i can spell it now i copied it from our conversation J!! ) about my 3-d model.

I am going to put some pictures on here of the four parts of the model.

I would be really grateful if anyone could post there thoughts/comments/Criticisms about it.

Thanks,

Lorna

Just thought i would add some comments i have allready: