Thank you both for the meeting on Tuesday, and for the work that went into it. Some things that have occurred to me.

1. I’m very keen to incorporate as soon as possible whatever you both agree about:

a) a hierarchy of path widths (if any)

b) a hierarchy of path materials

c) an expanse of water

d) the ‘feathering’ of the junctions

e) re-ordering of entrances and exits – particularly the ‘service’ entrance

f) anything else we discussed 1. I think it would actually be valuable at this stage to number the pages. I do want to change the current order in the presentation and it would be easier to do this if we all know what we are referring to.

2. On the subject of the written descriptions/arguments I believe that it is very important to get these right. That is, only by expressing the thinking with absolute precision will we be able to test the ideas behind it; this is true both for ourselves and for the (non technical) people that we present to. I’ve got an idea for who might help us with this.

3. I think that the most important thing for you both to discuss, and raise with Stuart (to whom I’ve copied this), is as follows: has the analysis so far uncovered the full complexity of the micro-climatic range within the Walled Garden? If it hasn’t, then we have not yet maximized the range of possible planting. For instance:

a) Does the fall of the ground in effect extend the micro-climatic effects of the western wall, and the rise the effect of the easterly one? I’m pretty sure it does.

b) What is the importance of diurnal differences in sunlight in parts of the garden? Does sun in the morning effect plants differently from sun in the afternoon? Does a wall which has had sun for most of the day radiate more heat than one that has had sun only for a brief part of the day?

c) Have we fully adjusted for the effect of the wind and the rain on their prevailing axes? Your diagram suggests that the garden is almost perfectly sheltered from the wind.

d) Seasonal variations in sunlight. Does winter shade (i.e. non-growing season) have a different effect on plants to summer shade?

4. Do we need also to examine more carefully the assumptions we have made about the planting in relation to the height of walls? Nori Pope’s simple rule was that planting widths should be equal to wall height may actually be more useful than historical precedent.

I think these rules assume more or less flat ground and, of course, walls of uniform height. I think perhaps your ideas about the linear gallery are too ‘horizontal’ in concept and that they should be made to accommodate the fact that everything will be viewed from a 20% slope, whether one’s going up or down.

If up, then the perceived width of the planting will be foreshortened, if down it will appear broader. One aspect of the current layout of borders that bothers me (and I think, perhaps, Alejandro) is the regularity of the zig zag path in the north east quadrant of the curve.

I think it could be a bit monotonous, and the questions above hopefully might make the layout parameters a little more complex and interesting.

Let me know what you think.

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