"The Quote"

"The Quote" for the the garden is in. Gulp. Perhaps I'm just niave about what things cost... I'm certainly not trying to deny any hardworking gardener their honest days pay. But I'm not sure I can justify or understand 10 x 50kg bags of cement. I mean, where will they put all that cement? It is hardly a 5x3 square metre space to work in. And "The Quote" didn't even include the plants...

I am sure the result of that money will be beautiful. I'm just not so sure it will be more beautiful than a quote for half the price.

I've realised I'm not so good with overbearing suppliers or people who bandy about latin names while waving their hands emphatically. Part of me is suspicious, part taken-in and part just completely in awe of the salesmanship.

Apparantly having the word "landscaped" in the estate agent ad for your home increases the offer on said home by 7%. Irrelevant as we are not planning to sell anytime soon (although DH is concerned that we need to as the street we live in seems to be morphing into a campus type scenario). Regardless, it makes a nice selling point for a lanscaper I guess. I'm just not so sure that by the time we do sell all those plants will still be alive. DH is pretty good, but I'm afraid I'm liable to go on holiday or ignore large infestations of aphid type creatures with no concern for the (horrible) consequences.

I see a need for "The Comparitive Quote" or perhaps even for exploration of something like 'garden in a box'. Isn't it funny how "The Quote" and the "The Bonus" or "The Salary" are never quite proportionate. (sigh)