While we are waiting for the work on the house to be done, I am finding refuge in my garden. I look back to the time just a few months ago and I am happy with what I see. The work on the "potager" is continuing, with more garden beds being added, and the plants that were struggling in their previous spots were moved elsewhere where they have a chance to thrive. Although I was not able to garden for a stretch of close to 15 years, I jumped at the chance to make this piece of land into a garden of my dreams.
On the first visit I really liked the house and its potential, but the garden was a proverbial "cherry on top". With an ample, gated "cour" in the front and some plantings there, to the vast walled space behind. A small creek in the back of the property sealed the deal. I knew that making this space into a garden would be a lot of work, but it was an almost blank slate and I couldn't wait to get my hands dirty.
But before anything could happen, some time had to pass . One needs to see what grows and where, so one doesn't dig in the wrong spot and gets rid of existing plants unnecessarily. One also needs to know where the sunny and shady parts of the garden are throughout the seasons.
We arrived at the beginning of December, so we missed the entire growing season and we had barely any idea what grows where. We had some pictures from previous visits, but that's about it. It was evident that while the previous owners were proud of their garden, there was little planning involved.
The front of the property was already clearly defined with the gravel driveway and some mature plantings. However we had to identify the shrubs and other plants growing there, other than recognizing a rose bush, and a lavender plant everything else was a mystery.
The back garden was also a mix of easily recognizable flowers and shrubs, but as the months went by it became evident that many of them were struggling because of the location there were planted in, or the lack of proper care. And just as it happened in my New York garden, where I tried to eliminate most of the lawn by converting it to a garden , I set out to the same here. Where most see a verdant green, I see the possibilities of a flower garden and a "potager". So in early winter last year I rolled up my sleeves, made a rough sketch of the property, subscribed to garden magazines, purchased some books, and began!
Beginnings
I had no garden tools, I didn't even know the French names for the tools! I was not a novice in gardening, but this scale was something completely new. Undaunted, and determined to have our own tomatoes in the summer, I mapped out the four squares of the garden beds in our future "potager". Silly me I thought I would dig the soil to prep the areas for planting. First I had to move a small fig tree that grew smack in the middle of everything and would do much better by a stone wall of the garden. Replanting it took me three days, because digging my friends is not for me. Digging is for a strong guy, and it would take an army of strong guys to dig up the surface of this garden.
What to do? Permaculture and the "no dig" method became my friends. I already tried something like this successfully back in New York, and here it became an answer to creating new beds relatively painlessly. Almost painlessly for me (although it still requires some physical strength) and for the soil, because it does not get disturbed. We entered the growing season with 1.5 vegetable beds ready for planting!
Gardening in winter is an entirely different game. I was outside nearly every day, trimming, cutting, observing. Even at zero degrees Celsius, when one keeps moving in the sunshine, it's a joy. I was measuring the time by listening for a bell at the mairie, which chimes every half hour. I loved the sharp fresh air and the aroma of woodsmoke. The approach of spring was marked by the increased decibels of birds singing.
I even started liking the pigeons that live in the old church bell tower across the street. Most of the time they stay on the roof, but several times a day they all take a tour around the tower and our property in one big group. When that happens I like to stop what I am doing and look up at their care free flight.
Spring
The first surprise was the abundance of wild primroses covering the grass like a colorful carpet. The second one were tiny grape hyacinths and miniature daffodils that started coming up as early as February. Then other plants were saying 'hello" to us - a huge bleeding heart plant that I took for a peony at first, a clematis vine, a profusion of columbines. Various shrubs started to flower so finally we were able to identify them.
We fell in love with the huge lilac on our property. The air smelled sweetly, the aromas of the lilac, clematis, and other blooming posies mixing and wafting around us. With these plants making their appearance I had to find out how to properly take care of them. Many needed a necessary "haircut" to help them thrive. As I was trimming and raking away the dead leaves, I was discovering that many plants were put in nooks and corners not very appropriate for them. The lack of light, space, nutrients contributed to the stunted growth, but they were there, maybe waiting for me to be helped?
Gradually I moved a hydrangea and a rosemary bush to better locations. I was trying to rescue a camelia, but it will have to be seen next spring what happens with this little love.
I was educating myself on how to trim roses which have gotten very leggy. My stack of gardening books and magazines was growing, and I started following many IG accounts of other gardeners for advice and inspiration. I still relied a lot on Barbara Damrosch "The Garden Primer" book, which I call "my bible". Jim laughs when I end a discussion we sometimes have of what goes where in the garden - "Barbara says" is the final word. Barbara also gave me permission (figuratively of course) to get rid of plants that I did not appreciate. Some of them were invasive, some were not in the color palette I would like. There were a few, planted probably for the ease of care, or their small size at first. I eradicated completely (but I am watching vigilantly!) the profusion of chinese lantern plants that were spreading like wild fire.
Learning how to garden now is a far cry from when I was teaching myself these skills in New York, when the internet was non-existent and one ordered spring bulbs from a catalog. There are so many resources on-line, on social media*. On the other hand I do miss these colorful catalogues arriving in the middle of winter - does anyone here remember these? - and curling up with them, marking the pages, dreaming of the flowering borders...
Summer
In late spring we had one and a half potager beds ready to welcome veggie seeds and seedlings. Some grew, some didn't. The weather was rainy, the wetness encouraged various pests to come out and feed on what I planted. So no cucumbers and carrots this year! But we feasted on radishes, squash, and tomatoes. Eating a tomato that was just picked compares to nothing else. A bonus if you grew it yourself. So satisfying. The work we put in earlier in the season rewarded us with the embarrassing amounts of veggies! And pesto made from our own basil. I tried to save some for winter, but every batch was eaten down to the last morsel...
The local knowledge of how to deal with the unwelcome garden guests came from the neighbours, along with some gifted tomato plants. I added more tools to our arsenal in the "atelier de jardin". I coped with the weeds, took many notes, and made plans for the next growing season. We set up a table and chairs for eating al fresco. Doesn't everything taste better this way?
And every evening as I was watering the garden I breathed in the incomparable aroma - the scent of fresh herbs, the earth, the grass. Resting the eyes on the greenery of the plants. The fresh scent of mint as I walked through the courtyard (I left it here and there growing in the gravel so the scent can surprise us as we walked on it). Simple pleasures of a simpler life.
The summer was coming to an end, which happens ever so gradually, but creeps up on you, and suddenly while still in August, you see the subtle signs of the approaching autumn. The cobwebs we walked through on our daily strolls, the ripe berries in the woods, the morning fog, all of it told us that nature was getting ready to slow down for the season.
Autumn
And here we are, almost full circle. Mild September gave way to a wet October and moody skies.The sunny days are few and far between. It is such a change from just a few weeks ago. Undaunted, I put on my work clothes, and go out into the garden. I literally dodge the raindrops to do as much work outside as possible before the colder weather sets in. As soon as I am out there, my spirits lift. I deadhead, trim, and weed. I want to have a few more blooms, I want to prep the beds for the spring season as weed free as possible. Later I will take our the wood chipper to make mulch and cover the areas around my plants to keep them cozy for the colder months.
Two new hydrangea bushes joined an exiting one, which was moved to the from of the house. I am happy with how the perennials I planted in the summer are thriving. I must be doing something right! I just ordered a climbing rose, a classic Pierre de Ronsard. I am making more ambitious garden plans for next year!
I am also dreaming of finally having a bathroom finished where I could soak my tired muscles after a busy afternoon gardening! This day will come, I know, and it will be sooo good!
In the hills surrounding our village we see more and more yellow and orange colors. There is that glow to it all I love so much, but I also keep in mind how short lived it all is, and that soon in the autumn's strong winds, the leaves will give way to bare branches. Such is the cycle of life.
With the noise and dust of the work in the house it is difficult to keep in mind what kind of life we are trying to live here. But it is what our goal is - to be in tune with the seasons. To be closer to nature. To live a more sustainable life.
To be continued...
XOXO
Joanna
*Here are some IG accounts I follow for inspiration and knowledge from around the world:
@anya_thegarden_fairy
@charles_dowding
@thelaundrygarden
@david_austin_roses
@fmuytjens
@gardeningtreasures
@meadowsflowerfarm
@jothompsongarden
@olivialanguage
@chateaumontfort
@houseandgardenuk
@sarahravensgarden
@clarefostergardens
@meillandrichardier
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