Listed among France’s “Plus Beaux Villages de France” (most beautiful villages), Le Faou in Brittany puts out a display of stunning plantings and borders of shrub roses, cannas, silk trees, and many other shrubs and perennials. The mixed borders have the feel of a tropical garden.
Much like the Normandy region, Brittany, France is known for its apples. Countless varieties are grown in every garden of Brittany. This garden divided a small orchard from a vegetable garden area with a rustic wood arbor covered in vines. There is also a row of espaliered fruit trees hedging the side of the property.
Tis September and the season for pumpkins and assorted squashes that absolutely thrive in Brittany, France, and few vegetable gardens fail to have a patch of pumpkins spilling over. This one also has some rows of trellised tomatoes approaching the end of the growing season. Flowering shrubs hedges and a “flowered” wall covered in blooming groundcovers enclose the garden.
The elderly couple who owns the house tends this kitchen garden or “potager” as the French call it almost year round. Come September, a cover crop is coming out to replace the potatoes in the center patch, and fall vegetables such as leeks, pumpkin and artichokes still fill the garden. The marigolds at the end of the rows repel certain garden pests from the vegetables.
On the other side of the house, a row of kiwi vines, some over 30 years old, are trellised along the wall, and a garden bench offers a peaceful place to rest for a moment.
My first post on the Jardin des Plantes in Nantes was about the hothouses and scientific garden, the second one was on the art and statuary, this one focuses on the theme gardens and plantings.
Meandering through the park, from the scientific garden, I first came across the shade garden, ferns and hostas surrounded by an amazing variety of evergreen shrubs and trees.
The theme garden “the Mountain” is inspired by 19th century gardens such as Kew garden in England, and was installed in 1847 by the then director of the Jardin des Plantes. A labyrinth of plantings guides a circular ascension to the top and a lookout point to the Loire river.
Water features dot the park.
Thousand of annuals, perennials and shrubs create lush borders year round. Photos below show just a small sampling and include gunnera, pennisetum, gingko, silk tree, hydrangea borders and mixed borders throughout the park.
Climbing roses and purple clematis cover the arch at the entrance to this stone cottage straight out of a fairy tale in a small fishing village of northern Brittany, France. More climbing roses cover the front of the house, although they have finished blooming for the summer, and yet more roses, old fashioned knockout roses, cover the hedge. Hydrangeas flourish in the shade of the side wall.
The photos above were taken in August. The ones below were taken in September when the roses were reblooming in a stunning display of color!
This is a very traditional French country cottage garden with such features as climbing roses trellised over the hedge, hydrangea borders, mixed perennial borders, a collection of potted floral arrangements throughout the garden, and a brick outdoor fireplace.
As already mentioned in one of my previous posts, every French village had one or more communal wash houses, many of them just a fountain filling a basin to wash clothes in.
This one on the edge of the village of Roscanvel has been converted into a lovely aquatic garden basin with papyrus and other aquatic plants, and assorting plantings of ferns, erigeron … around it.
I happened upon this lovely seaside garden in the village of Roscanvel. The plants and flowers in the raised beds are all carefully labeled. The beds are arranged in a grid pattern with grapevines and apple trees growing along the back wall. When the vegetables in a raised bed have been harvested, wildflowers are planted as cover crops. The ocean view of course is beautiful!
My first post on the Jardin des Plantes in Nantes was about the hothouses and scientific garden, this one focuses on the art installations and statues.
Art ranges from classic to modern with planted “totems” and an installation by Claude Ponti. Also dotting the park are other features, some quirky, such as a bird house, wavy benches, or a lookout point with a frame for photo taking.
Not only are the planting stunning, but this garden offers unexpected and delightful surprises at every turn.
Scattered thoughts and general musings
Gardening in Lazio
The life and loves of a plantsman
Nature needs Nurture
Learning life's lessons in the garden!
Observations from a Maine gardener
A Virginia garden through the seasons
.....and nurturing my soul
Gardens & Events at Historic Rosedale
Looking for the rays of sunshine I know are out there.
the life and times of a garden-loving, baking-loving, cat-loving West Country redhead
garden and art
Storytelling Adventure
Globetrotting Gardener 