Category Archives: Cottage gardens

Wondrous Landevennec Garden Part 1: Plantings and Borders

March 4, 2020 Globetrotting Gardener Leave a comment

This lovely garden just outside the small coastal town of Landevennec in northern Brittany is absolutely full of surprises at every turn. I will show more of the garden structures in my next post, such as the bridge, gazebo, arbor, etc. In this post I will focus on the fantastic borders and plantings all throughout this garden.

The hedges all around mix a variety of shrubs for texture, foliage and blooms, together with perennials for touches of colors. The fall blooms of the dahlia borders add magical color to the fall garden. Hostas and other shade loving plants fill shadier corners.

Mixed hedge shrubs with accent of black eyed susans

Mixed shrubs ad texture, color and interest

Cottage gardens, Other gardens

A Rose Garden in Brittany, France with 100s of varieties

May 17, 2016 Globetrotting Gardener 3 Comments

In northern Brittany, France, just outside of the small picturesque town of Le Faou is a nursery specializing in roses. I never featured a commercial establishment in one of my posts before, but in the middle of fields of roses is a lovely rose garden showcasing many of the species cultivated there, from shrub roses to climbing roses, to old fashioned roses, and a pleasure to browse for anyone who enjoys roses as I do.

I will be writing another post about this garden as well, showcasing some of the individual varieties of roses.

Cottage gardens, Formal gardens

A Carmen Garden in the Albaicin in Granada

October 5, 2015 Globetrotting Gardener Leave a comment

Granada, in southern Spain, is of course most famous for the Alhambra and Generalife gardens. But throughout the old town of Granada are also many walled gardens known as “carmen” This particular one featured here is on the hill of the Albaicin, the Moorish quarter and oldest part of Granada. It is laid out in somewhat formal squares but with a wide variety of planting giving it color throughout the seasons. The view alone would make this an absolutely stunning garden to sit and linger in.

Cottage gardens, Other gardens

Unusual Post Office Perennial Borders in France

June 23, 2015 Globetrotting Gardener Leave a comment

Not only is the architecture of this post office building in France a bit unusual and somewhat reminiscent of a ship with the round windows, but it has some stunning mixed borders in its front “garden”.

Cottage gardens, Other gardens

Ploher’s Old Gothic Church Garden

June 16, 2015 Globetrotting Gardener Leave a comment

In this small Brittany village, the gothic era church with its lacy steeple typical of this region of Brittany is decorated with colorful mixed borders, decorative grasses, hydrangea hedges, and seasonal containers boxes.

Cottage gardens, Rose gardens

A Small Rose Garden in Brittany Adds Curb Appeal

May 26, 2015 Globetrotting Gardener Leave a comment

This house in a small coastal town in Brittany, France would be just one of many like it if it weren’t for the lush display of blooms from the small rose garden in the front yard. Shrub roses, climbing roses, old fashioned roses, bloom from spring to fall. Geraniums, cannas, dahlias and hydrangeas are mixed in for foliage and texture as well as extra blooms.

Cottage gardens, Other gardens

Flowered Garden at the Old Stone Church in Crozon, France

April 17, 2015 Globetrotting Gardener Leave a comment

This church is at the center of the village square in Crozon, Brittany. It has a small front garden planted with a lush mix of annuals and perennials, including banana trees, brugmansias, lion’s ear, papyrus, erigeron for ground cover, and black eyed susans.

The back of the church is flowered with hydrangeas and mixed arrangements of blooming plants.

Cottage gardens, Rose gardens

French Stone Cottage with Roses

March 20, 2015 Globetrotting Gardener Leave a comment

This lovely stone cottage is typical of the architecture of the older houses in northern Brittany. Situated in a small coastal fishing village, this front garden is filled with a variety of roses, from shrub roses to climbing roses on trellises and arbors, in shades of pink, red and white.

Cottage gardens

Blooming Seaside Cottage Garden in Brittany, France

February 18, 2015 Globetrotting Gardener 1 Comment

As in one of my previous posts, this cottage garden is also in the coastal village of Landevennec in northern Brittany, France. This garden right by the water puts out a stunning show of fall blooms in September, with a riot of color from hydrangeas, roses, and foliage from grasses and perennials mixed into lush border.

Cottage gardens, Other gardens

A Courtyard Garden for a Woodland Cottage

January 29, 2015 Globetrotting Gardener Leave a comment

On the outskirts of a small fishing village in Brittany, France, bordered by some woods, the original stone cottage was expanded over the years into a U-shape construction around a pleasant courtyard garden in the front, edged with rough stone walls.