French Gardens

Gardening in France has not experienced the explosion of interest that Britain has seen over the last 10 or more years but none the less there are a lot of gardens worth seeing in France. These  gardens range from the traditoinal French style of very formal bedding schemes often seen in the gardens of large chateaux such as Chateau de Hautefort to smaller more relaxed planting schemes which are becoming increasingly popular.

Because France is such a large country the variety is enormous, from the wetter, cooler north where many gardens use very similar plants to those of the UK, to the dry and hot meditterranean regions with a big emphasis on lavender and other aromatic plants adapted to the dry hot conditions. And of course the mountain regions offer the potential to see lots of alpine plants in their natural settings.

This garden guide allows you to discover the gardens you can visit in France with a description of each garden and its location and visiting hours.

The site has the following sections:

Gardens to Visit

There are a wide range of French gardens open to the public. The choice includes the traditional formal gardens laid out in the grounds of French chateaus and medicinal, herb and decorative vegetable gardens which became very popular in France in medieval times. There are also many 'English style gardens' and gardens using the very natural style of planting which has become so popular in recent years. The huge diversity in France means it is possible to see great examples of all styles of garden from alpine to mediterranean and exotic to cottage-style.  These are some of the French gardens that are open to the public...HERE

 

Favourite Plants

See this section for some of my preferred plants for use in a French garden. Whether you are looking for mediterranean plants, especially well adapted to the dry summers we often experience now, or easy to grow perennials, often the favourite plants in the borders and a range of perennials allows you to keep up interest throughout the year. Bulbs too enable colour to be introduced all year round.Architectural plants are useful dotted around to add interest and make a statement in your garden. Grasses have enjoyed an explosion of interest in recent years and are much used in natural gardens, a style made popular by designers such as Piet Oudolf. And of course every garden needs shrubs and or hedges to add structure. To find out more about favourite plants for the garden ...HERE

 

Things to do in the garden

A month by month look at the work that needs to be done in the garden. This section is a guide to the different jobs which are essential throughout the gardening year. Jobs such as planting, taking cuttings, dividing perennials, mulching, rose care etc are all covered  ...HERE

 

My own garden in France

Our plans have changed many times in just 5 years and having bought an old french farmhouse with a couple of outbuildings and started gardening purely for my own pleasure, we now have two gites and have moved into what was previously the barn.In this section you can see a largely photographic account of our progress...READ MORE

 

Other interesting French garden and property sites

Please visit our partner sites at France property renovation and Black bamboo

 

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