I wrote a post in the spring about my plans for the potagers and new areas in the rest of the garden.
Once again this was a difficult year for leafy vegetables due to the high temperatures and dry conditions. Cauliflowers, broccoli, Swiss chard were not successful but I did have a constant supply of lettuces for 6 months. As with last year, Mediterranean vegetables did very well and I had hundreds of tomatoes, aubergines, peppers and French beans, as well as melons. I grew fennel for the first time here and although they were quite small, the fennel heads were good. As I anticipated in the spring, the broad beans were very good and cropped for several weeks.
Over the winter I am growing winter lettuces, endives, red chicory, spinach, chard, leeks, red and green kale and still have celeriac in the ground.
I finished planting the 2 new oval beds in the spring with many different grasses and herbaceous plants. They have been watered well and have established well despite the drought conditions. I was very pleased to have a colourful display throughout the summer.
I also made a small cut flower bed next to the potagers and have been picking Cosmos in different shades of pink and white, marigolds and a wild flower mix. I have picked at least 2 bunches of flowers for the house every week and even managed to fill a vase last week.
In the autumn I planted grasses around the pond, and I have also been planting bulbs- snakeshead Fritillaries and Narcissus around the 3 Betula trees, and many Narcissus, Alliums, Fritillaries, and Crocus in the front garden, including Saffron Crocuses in a pot. This month I am going to plant Tulips and more fritillaries.
During the winter I am planning to plant some more shrubs and herbaceous plants in the woodland border. I planted 2 new bamboos in the spring, after a tricky start they now seem to be growing well.
Garden Design in France 