The Vintage French Garden

Since making the move from the French countryside to the small historic town of Cognac I have gained a renewed enthusiasm for gardening.

We created a large formal potager in our first home in France but the task of keeping it under control was all consuming and very hard work especially in the heat of the summer months.

In spite of all the sweat and toil though there really is nothing like the flavour of freshly picked home grown produce.

Although our life is now more urban we are very lucky to have a courtyard garden on two levels and I absolutely love it.  There's nothing I enjoy more after a day's work than wandering leisurely around our garden to see what flower has appeared or how our grape vine is doing.  All that it demands of me is a bit of weeding, watering and some deadheading of the roses and the Paris daisies. 

With a nod to our former rural life a couple of weeks back we bought an old large copper pot from a flea market and turned it into a mini herb and vegetable garden that is now handily situated on the balcony just outside our kitchen door.

We try to use reclaimed or re-purposed materials as much as possible to keep costs down and to give the space some individuality, for example metal reinforcing bars over a pre-existing framework make an effective trellis to grow a clematis over.

This pretty pot rack is still for sale in my Etsy Shop

This frame from an antique light fitting was in the barn of our old house and we have attached a hanging basket to the bottom of it which I am happy to say is filling out every day and gracing the gazebo at the end of our top terrace.

I especially love our wrought iron screens that work well as a backdrop against the tall wall of the neighbouring house as well as the central one being a climbing frame for our lovely scented rose.

Another brocante find was a large earthenware pot with handles shown in the photo below. It's original purpose was to salt ham but it is now a charming planter for our little bay tree.  

And finally it's just feasible that I may have mentioned in a previous post the fountain we bought second hand from a garden in Poitiers (I'm so proud of it I do try to casually slip it into conversations wherever humanly possible!) The sound of it's gentle burble of water often draws me outside or to the window to gaze out at it when I really should be working. 

I have come to realise that the biggest garden doesn't necessarily bring the greatest pleasure and for me our town courtyard is really developing into a little paradise.   

Make Hay While the Sun Shines

Contrary to popular belief it frequently rains here in France and has been doing so on and off for a couple of weeks now, but a week and a half ago we were lucky to have a brief respite and went out in search of bargains.

Our first stop was very local to us in a hamlet called Genté and the day began well with the sun breaking through the mist rising over the vineyards.

The fair at Genté was in most part a vide-grenier (which translates as 'empty attic sale'). These sales generally have more private people from the surrounding area selling than professionals so the gems can be few and far between.

As with most vide greniers we had mixed luck but managed to find a few quirky trucs that I haven't yet managed to process but can't wait to share when I have.

We then went on to a brocante in the very pretty village of Tesson and found some more treasures as well as some super plants for our courtyard garden and some delicious asparagus from a local farm.

After a couple of hours wandering the pretty streets of Tesson the weather began to really hot up and the humidity was building so we decided to quit while we were ahead and visit the beautiful medieval town of Pons just up the road for lunch.

We booked a table on the terrace of a charming traditional restaurant and went for a wander around the nearby Donjon (which gives the restaurant it's name) and it's stunning topiary gardens.

You never know what rare flora and fauna you might find in gardens of this type... could that be the hitherto thought extinct 'Lesser Spotted Spikius' I spy???

A breathtaking view over the surrounding countryside

Since that lovely day I've struggled to find a good day to shop for bargains or take photographs of my stock as the light hasn't been so good so I'm so glad we made the most of it when we could and look forward hopefully to sunnier days ahead.