Tag Archives: perennial borders

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

Other gardens

Quimper Park: A Public Garden by the Riverfront

March 25, 2016 Globetrotting Gardener Leave a comment

In the heart of old Quimper, near the cathedral and along other historic buildings on the waterfront, this lovely park provides a pleasant promenade by the river. It is lined with a colorful mix of banana trees, grasses, perennials and shrubs, as well as very old wisteria growing over arbors.

The lushness of the perennial borders and the choice of foliage give it an almost tropical feel, while the upcycled barrels used as planters give it a more modern edge.

Botanical gardens, Kitchen gardens, Theme gardens

Cordoba Botanical Gardens: Sustainable Gardening & the Kitchen Garden

July 11, 2015 Globetrotting Gardener Leave a comment

The Botanical Gardens in Cordoba, Spain opened in 1887 and were designed for primarily educational and scientific purposes. They are laid out along a wide central alley leading on one side to the Collections, species native to Spain arranged in borders edges by low growing rosemary or hackberry, and on the other side the Agricultural School, featured in this post, with a large collection of citrus trees as well as an extensive vegetable and kitchen garden. In the center are greenhouses dedicated to species from the Canary Islands, Balearic Islands and Andalusia, as well as a lovely area dedicated to the Andalusian patio.

In the School of Agriculture, the emphasis is on sustainability and diversity, with sustainability and organic gardening on the forefront. Plants grown are those for human or animal consumption as well as any plants offering benefits or use to people. Many different methods of cultivation are used and in those collection one can observe the different cycless of plants through the seasons.

Botanical gardens, Container gardens, Patios & Courtyards, Theme gardens

Cordoba Botanical Gardens: the Scientific Garden

July 7, 2015 Globetrotting Gardener Leave a comment

The Botanical Gardens in Cordoba, Spain opened in 1887 and were designed for primarily educational and scientific purposes. They are laid out along a wide central alley leading on one side to the Collections, featured in this post, species native to Spain arranged in borders edges by low growing rosemary or hackberry, and on the other side the Agricultural School with a large collection of citrus trees as well as an extensive vegetable garden. In the center are greenhouses dedicated to species from the Canary Islands, Balearic Islands and Andalusia, as well as a lovely area dedicated to the Andalusian patio.

he Collections are arranged scientifically along a central alley, by species and variety. All the plants included in the collections are autochtone to Spain.

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.

Formal gardens, Other gardens, Theme gardens

A formal French Garden on a Locronan Roundabout

April 7, 2015 Globetrotting Gardener 1 Comment

Next in my series of posts on French landscaped roundabouts, is this very elegantly landscaped one in Locronan, Brittany. Round shaped boxwoods, bonsai shaped trees, topiaries and assorted evergreens give it year round beauty, while hydrangeas which have a long blooming season in Brittany) add some color.

City Parks and Gardens, Formal gardens

A Formal French Garden in Historic Quimper

March 17, 2015 Globetrotting Gardener 1 Comment

Along the old wall, next to the Quimper cathedral on one side and the Odet river on the other with its flowered bridges, is this small park. It is landscaped in the style typical of the formal French gardens, with the low growing edges of boxwood around the symmetrical curved borders, and with topiaries at the corners.

The less traditional border at one end is filled with elephant ears.