French Gardens

Gardens in France > > Le Jardin Plume

This is one of my favourites. The summer garden is a kind of modern knot garden with a very formal layout of clipped box in a square edged pattern. Each 'box' is then filled with a very natural planting of grasses and perennials but the colours are superb. Lots of golden yellow, deep red, burning oranges...

The overall mix of formal and informal, the somber green of the box and the jewel colours of the flowers is really superb. Favourite plants here are dahlias, crocosmias, heleniums, kniphofias and of course grasses - giving the plumes the garden is named for.

Because of the strong structural element to the garden and the use of plants which remain interesting in the winter the garden is still beautiful in the winter.

Masses of euphorbias and hellebores and many other plants mean that spring is wonderfully fresh and verdant in the jardin plume .

Autumn is my favourite. All the grasses and cimifugias make the backdrop to the asters and helianthus etc a bit like a firework display. Magic.

My garden visit in late September:

The box hedges are filled with vibrantly coloured flowers, interspersed with grasses.

Meadow areas are mowed into regular squares adding formality to the informally swaying grasses.

The autumn garden was a joy when I visited the Jardin Plume in late September. Tje asters  and grasses were taller than me.

Even the potager is full of flowers.

Added to all this there is a fabulous garden centre where you can buy most of the plants grown in the garden.

Garden Guide:

Le Jardin Plume is open from Saturday 17 May. Wednesdays and Saturdays from 10h - 12h and 14h - 18h. Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays 14h - 18h. The garden centre is open the same hours but from 5 March to 1November.

Address:

The Jardin Plume is situated 20km North-East of Rouen, between Rouen and Dieppe.

Le Jardin Plume

76116 Auzouville sur Ry

Tel: 02 35 23 00 01