What comes to mind when you see/hear the word "alley"?
To me it's where the trash bins are kept, garages sometimes open up onto them....a narrow through-way for utilitarian purposes. Often power line poles are placed there rather than at curbside.
Brugmansias grown as standards would make a beautiful allee, but I sure wouldn't put them in the alley. :-)
In gardening terms although the French "allee" can be literally translated as "alley", I think it loses something in the translation.
Check this link for the DG definition of allee: http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/15/
Monet's allee:
http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=allee+monet
Google Images for keyword allee:
http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=allee
And example of a newly redone allee:
http://www.business-services.upenn.edu/arboretum/oakallee1.html
"The word "Allee" is from Old French, aler meaning "to go" and refers to a walkway or drive bordered by rows of evenly spaced, even-aged trees of the same species. Allees were popular in European royal parks and estates in the 17th & 18th centuries mostly in France and England. In the late 19th century in America, it became popular to create tree-lined streets on the model of the allees."
Hats off to monika for all the valuable information she provided to this forum and I sure couldn't communicate in written form with my rudimentary German, so this is no reflection on her. Just that the word "alley" conjures up a whole different meaning for me than "allee."
"alley" v "allee"
What came to my mind when I had to translate the german word Allee into english! I looked it up in the New Cassell's German Dictonary ( sorry its already old, from 1958).
Here its says: Allee = avenue. However, avenue stands in the english to german translation for: Allee, große breite Straße, die Auffahrt while alley is described like: die Allee, der Gang, die Gasse, Seitenstraße, kleine Straße.
I leave the translation of the german words to you Happenstance!!!
Avenue in french and english has a similar meaning in german: a large broad road, which may be lined by trees or buildings.
Since I would never call my walkway up to the house a avenue, I deceided to use the word alley, which definites, according to Cassell's, it much better.
I know about the meaning of alley cat, we have something similar in the german language. Some Aveunues or Alleen are often named Promenaden. Not pure bred dogs and cats are often called Promenadenmischung but nobody would think by the word Promenade alone of trash cans or whats ever.
Last year, I noticed already kell and some of her friends had their fun with the word alley. Your thread is the answer of it. Maybe I should just take my consequences out of it.
Edited for correct spelling!!!
This message was edited Oct 1, 2003 7:32 AM
This message was edited Oct 1, 2003 7:49 AM
well, mine is an alley and always will be:)
Bonnie, I've got to say that is the prettiest alley that I've ever seen. lol Gorgeous!
somewhere I have a pic of all of them in bloom, just running in and out this morning. Thanks, but it wants to be like Monika's when it's grown:)
I've used the word allee for years, and that's what I thought of no matter how Monika spelled it when she generously shared her valuable information with us all.
Oh tiG, that is gorgeous. You "done good girl." I would love to walk down your alley.
Tig:
Your alley is beautiful. I'd love to see more pictures of it and the rest of your garden if you have time to post them.
TiG, I very like your alley. Here is a part from Monika´s Allee...:-)
Believe me: Sometimes it is very difficult to find the right translation...here and there :-)
Monika and Tig, your alley's are beautiful. Someday I hope to have an alley also.