France

Visiting the house in March, continuing the theme of our life, warts and all

      It has been an interesting few weeks in our family. Darling Daughter returned to work after maternity leave. She has a responsible job involving standing up for those who don’t have a voice any other way, and we are proud of her for her commitment to the dispossessed. Returning to work inevitably meant that GrandBoy Number 4 started at nursery. At the … Continue reading Visiting the house in March, continuing the theme of our life, warts and all

Unknown's avatarThe Renaissance Gardener7 Comments
France

A February visit: warts and all

A question we are often asked is, “How will you divide your time between the two homes?”. The answer is not straightforward as we both have busy working lives and family commitments. Some kind of answer will evolve over time but one principle we have adopted is to try never to leave either home abandoned and alone for more than a month or so at … Continue reading A February visit: warts and all

Unknown's avatarThe Renaissance Gardener8 Comments
France, Gardens to visit, Inspiration

Inspirations: Château de Marqueyssac

Three summers ago while on holiday in the Dordogne with friends, before we thought of buying a property in France, we visited the gardens at Château de Marqueyssac, one of France’s Jardins Remarquable. I had read about the gardens, and seen Joe Swift’s * feature on Gardener’s World in October 2011, and determined that we must go. So the opportunity was perfect.   Situated on a cliff … Continue reading Inspirations: Château de Marqueyssac

Unknown's avatarThe Renaissance Gardener10 Comments
Design

The first year; an important decision

The best advice given to the owners of any new garden is to live with it for a year as it is before making any changes. Whether because we were directly following that advice, or whether because we were up to our eyes and ears in building work, we have assiduously maintained the garden as it was when we first took ownership and not made any … Continue reading The first year; an important decision

Unknown's avatarThe Renaissance Gardener3 Comments
Design

The hedge I’ve grown to hate

Slightly off-topic, forgive me. And this is also a bit of a rant. But its that time of year when a huge proportion of British gardens are aflame with the fiery new shoots of Photinia (usually Red Robin) along mile after mile of recently planted suburban hedge. It is recommended for planting for spring colour, and it seems to thrive wherever it is planted. So we are seeing it … Continue reading The hedge I’ve grown to hate

Unknown's avatarThe Renaissance Gardener1 Comment
Design, Mowing, Spring

The first spring

We took over ownership of the French house at the end of November 2015, still pinching ourselves to be sure that this was really happening. Since then we have made a number of visits, enjoying unseasonably warm weather during December and then experiencing (not enjoying!) cold, wet, stormy weather throughout much of January and February. By the middle of March signs of spring were beginning … Continue reading The first spring

Unknown's avatarThe Renaissance Gardener2 Comments
France, Sussex, The story

Lady Smocks all Silver White

So, how did this adventure come about? Having listened to some friends talking about their ideas to buy a house in France (initially with not a little envy), being quite amazed to discover from RightMove quite how much value the French property market offered, we looked at each other with the same thought in mind, expressed out loud as “we could do that, shall we think … Continue reading Lady Smocks all Silver White

Unknown's avatarThe Renaissance Gardener5 Comments
Art, Design, Inspiration

Painting the Modern Garden

I am firmly in the research phase for the French garden, gathering inspiration, and recording ideas. Inspiration comes from a wide variety of sources, and yesterday we went to the Royal Academy in London to the exhibition Painting the Modern Garden Monet to Matisse. It was crowded, too hot in places, but very inspiring.   Monet cultivated gardens throughout his life, from his early days … Continue reading Painting the Modern Garden

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Memories, The story

Starting at the beginning

I have been thinking about writing a blog for a long time. I’ve even made a start once or twice. I know what I want to write about (everything, actually) but I was never sure what would be important enough to form the content of the first post. The beginning seemed to be too important to rush into. Thanks to a recent conversation on Twitter (and the establishment … Continue reading Starting at the beginning

Unknown's avatarThe Renaissance Gardener13 Comments