Annie is so happy in her favorite morning place in the garden. You wouldn’t believe how many wood chips I find on the floor in the house, on the sofa, on the chair, on the bed…
Spring has sprung and it’s ALL about the garden these days. Here’s what’s going on in my world. Time is whizzing by so fast, I hardly have time to write!
My little patch of Lily of the Valley blooming right on cue—May Day.
I’m so excited to announce some progress with my potager, as I figured it wasn’t going to be in place until later this fall. Well, wonders never cease, and just in time to start planting, I have one box ready to go and the other three waiting for more of my time and effort. I had dreamed of having an elaborate and beautifully designed layout for the raised beds, with a large obelisk in the middle and benches, yada, yada (see March 2017 post). Then there’s the reality…
Even though everyone thinks I’m crazy for having it in a part of the garden so far from the kitchen, this patch is the best for many reasons: great sun exposure, it’s flat already, and is downhill from my (hopefully) gravity-fed irrigation system.
Rocks inidicating garden planter placement.
So after being promised wood bids from several sources with no results, we wandered into a local scierie (saw mill), talked to the owner who then produced a devis in 5 minutes. We accepted, paid a deposit, and 2 weeks later my wonderful cedar raised-bed boxes showed up. It was still too wet to drive the delivery truck to the lower garden, so he 
unloaded them by the driveway and the three of us oompfed them down into place (sweating and cussing the entire way) on my handy-dandy new 600-kg capacity chariot (sides removed of course).
Delivery of THE BOXES for my new raised beds.
My raised beds ‘in situ.’ Notice what a difference a couple of weeks makes in the trees in the forest!
And so, staying true to my commitment to employ the Hugelkultur technique for my raised beds, here is what we did:
Mole deterrent was installed in the form of galvanized wire covered by the recycled cloth of a broken awning from the house. The little devils better not get through that!
Forgot to take pictures of each step, but we used up a pigsty full of decaying twigs that the previous owner had collected, covered it with straw and wonderfully composted quail manure, then topped it all off with rich soil and grass clippings for mulch.
The whole concept behind my madness is that the raised beds will not only be easier on my aging back, hips, and knees, but will provide excellent drainage, protection from pests, and easy access to crops. And by layering the old wood branches with straw and fertilizer, I can raise awesome veggies and flowers with little irrigation or fertilizer. Click here for more information on this underused (IMHO) method of gardening.
Great selection from small growers at the Grande Marché aux Fleurs in town this week.
I’ve been hitting the local nurseries hard and enjoyed a wonderful flower market in Lalinde on Fête du Travail. Bought some hard-to-find herbs from specialty growers and opted for a stunning Billbergia.
My Billbergia’s new home for now—in the shower.
We also bought a metal owl at the Marché aux Fleurs to add to our growing collection. We’re hoping for baby owls again this year, as we hear Papa Barn Owl screech when he goes hunting every night from the pigeonnier. Not that you care, but here’s our little collection so far…
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- Made from recycled metal in Zimbabwe.
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- This adorable little clay guy, a gift from a new friend from Lisbon.
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- My googley-eyed one. Yes, Theo, I bought a rock. But look how adorable it is!
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- And to round out our materials list, our fabric one purchased at the Christmas Market.
And here are some shots (albeit quite braggadocious) from around the garden…
Colors are starting to pop in the front garden. So pleased the Butterfly Lavender wintered over, and finally the Geum is a star this second year (tall wirey orange flowers in rear).
My neglected azalea in the secret garden seems to have profited from all the rain this winter (and maybe a severe shaping and some coffee grounds didn’t hurt either)!
After a hard pruning and individual leaf and stem washing to rid it of scale, the lemon tree is raging with new growth.
The Philadelphus by the guest house is just starting to explode in bloom!
Enjoying the Mock Orange (Philadelphus) on the patio before bringing it into the house. The smell is intoxicating!
Ready to party. Again! Love being able to snip the spring shrubs for bouquets, in this case lilacs and snowballs in Theo’s mother’s Blue Delft vase.
Speaking of partying, here’s a slice of my crazy ‘bombe’ made with pound cake, a layer of homemade strawberry preserves, and an ice cream center, all packed in a bowl and frozen. Yum!
And lastly, I should be careful what I wish for. Today, we bought a fantastic used Husqvarna lawn mower so I can keep my paths well trimmed and the front garden looking neat in between visits from the regular gardener. It’s a beast, but what a great machine for a good price! “Another piece of equipment to make Cindy’s life easier…” touts Theo. Ugh…
Cindy- It’s gorgeous! (delivered ala Barbra Streisand). A friend just had similar boxes installed but at counter height. I asked why, she said when I get to be 80 I am pretty sure I don’t want to bend over at all.
Cheers
Roark y Gilles (Gil)
I originally was going to go taller, but then thought I’d rather be able to sit on the edge and bend slightly than to climb a ladder to pick the frickin’ tomatoes!!!
Oh Cindy, what a joy to see all these super photos of your owls and the beautiful garden you’ve made and seeing Annie in her favourite spot in the sun gave me pangs of nostalgia…
Those raised planter boxes look amazing, mole prevention and soil prep will no doubt bring you an abundant harvest in the weeks to come. Looking forward to more progress pictures. ❤️
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This is year 2 for the front flower beds and they’re now coming into their own. Added a few more delphiniums (cause they’re my FAVORITE)—should have blooms for months because some are from last year and some are now babies…
Working on the area around the pool now. Need to keep the mower from the edge of the patio and the clippings away from the pool. Now have the weeds killed, so next step is bark, then planting! Woo hoo!!!
Lost an apple tree in this freak rain storm today. The trunk was already compromised, but it was Theo’s favorite apple. Gotta find a replacement now!
Many more updates to follow. Just find myself with no time to write!!!
Love to you and Ron…
Your place looks even more beautiful than when we were there last year. It’s amazing how beautiful all the flowers look now. And yourraised beds will be a wonderful addition. We’ll make it back sometime to see you and enjoy your beautiful home there. About this time last year we were enjoying it all.
Thanks for the update & all the photos.
Jan Adams
Thanks, Jan. It’s a never-ending labor of love for me. It’s so fun to grow plants that are new to me and see how they do and what they need. You know how many little spaces there are on this property for me still to ‘tame.’ We will look forward to seeing you again!
I so enjoy your posts as you continue to beautify and renovate your French haven. I am sure that when everything is in bloom and it will be absolutely glorious at your place in the spring.I miss you guys and I’m so happy for you and your new life.
I have to pinch myself some days, even as my back aches and I think I’ll never get all the dirt off my hands, because living here is like a dream. This property is my playground and gardening keeps me in unison with the earth. Such satisfaction, as you know. Thanks for being in touch, Pat!