Vialii Review of 2010
We’re now trudging well into 2011 and we’re all very excited here at Vialii (despite the weather). We have just been granted the builds on a further three of our garden designs and we have a further three in the pipeline so were holding out high hopes for another bumper year. Before we wax lyrical too much about what’s ahead of us, we thought we’d write a bit of a review of 2010 as it was memorable for all the right reasons (and the odd painfully sore ones!)
Before: our garden had no interest and the beautiful view was blocked by overgrown shrubs
2010 was a fab year. Most importantly, we tied the knot. The ceremony was held in our own garden and was attended by our nearest and dearest and was the best day ever. The fine day was made all the sweeter by the preceding level of work that was carried out throughout the year to turn what was effectively a veg patch and some bare soil into a venue befitting of such a great occasion. As the saying goes “the cobbler’s bairns are aye the worst shod” so the same goes for a landscaper’s garden.
After: the garden all set up for our wedding day
It was good year for the business in all facets; design, build and maintenance so the inclusion of an additional project (suitable for a wedding!) was always going to be a challenge both financially and physically. So much so that it almost didn’t get done. We reached a point where the cold realisation came that we could not complete all that had to be done in the time available to do it. An emergency meeting was held and a a humble and begging email was sent out to friends for assistance and to their credit, our friends came through, and in style too. Our garden was completed (just) and the ceremony went off with a bang. We thanked our helpers at the wedding but we’d like to take the opportunity to give a hearty thanks again to all those that helped. We wouldn’t have managed it without you.
So without further ado we come to the Vialii Garden Design Awards 2010…
Garden of the Year
As tempting as it would be to gush over our own achievements in Bridge of Allan for this category we’re going to restrain ourselves. Our garden of the year would have to be the Nitobe Memorial Gardens in the University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Widely regarded as one of the best Japanese gardens outside Japan, it really was one of the most beautiful spaces we have spent time in.
Nitobe Memorial Gardens in Canada
Garden Show of the Year
Michael only made it to Hampton Court this year (Jill managed to squeeze in Chelsea too) and whilst there were some inspiring ideas, all-in-all Hampton Court left us feeling a tad underwhelmed so we’re going to award Chelsea this accolade.
Breakage of the year
Michael’s big toe! In April Michael picked up a slab and then quite quickly managed to drop the very same slab which subsequently landed on his foot. A valuable lesson was learned that day about always wearing steel toe capped boots on site.
Album of the year
Not garden related I know but, hey, this is our awards ceremony. The Defamation of Strickland Banks by Plan B. It’s a soulful soundtrack of a character who’s been ‘sent dahn’ for a crime he didn’t commit. Loved it…
Hope you all had a great 2010 too and here’s to a great 2011.
All at Vialii
The Icy Winter of 2010…
Regardless of all the frustrations of not being able to work on build projects at the moment due to the heavy snow and icy temperatures, there’s no denying that it’s an incredibly beautiful time of year for the winter garden…
View from our back garden across to Wallace Monument
Our garden and the fields beyond are covered in snow, creating a beautiful winter wonderland for us all to enjoy.
It is important to choose plants which can provide year round interest in gardens and this time of year certainly puts that theory to the test. One of our favourites is the seedheads of the echinops which look great throughout winter:
Echinops looks stunning right into the winter months
Grasses are also wonderful all year round and look especially good when covered in frost or providing a splash of colour against their snowy surroundings:
Grasses provide year round interest
…Still, after all these weeks of snow, a thaw would be nice now…
To find out more about planting which provides year round interest and that is perfect for a winter garden visit our blogs:
Vialii’s Top 10 Plants for a Winter Border
All at Vialii