The Pays d'Auge is the ideal place to have an English garden. It has a climate that is very like the south coast of England, except the summers are a few degrees warmer and the growing season starts a couple of weeks earlier. It goes on longer too, and autumns tend to be drier. Winter, on the other hand, especially away from the coast, can be cold and crisper and snow is probably more likely. Hardly surprising that the Normans have a more English than French approach to gardens. Of course there are still differences in priority and style. The Potager, now back in vogue in the UK, never went out of fashion in France and takes pride of place rather than being hidden. Anything that makes a contribution to the table is treated with utmost importance in France after all!
The garden is very central to how we feel about the house. Not just the fact that there is 'more land' and therefore in theory more possibilites....its also about it being an essential ingredient of the Lifestyle. A place to Dine Out together in the truest sense, to relax and enjoy the seasons and the peace of the place. Of course when we first arrived the garden and grounds were neglected. (I suspect thats often true when you buy in France because there is around 3 months between commiting to buy and signing the final paperwork. The previous owner isn't altogether motivated to carry on weeding and mowing even if they ever were!) We could see enough to get excited about the potential. The important thing was that we recognised that we liked what we saw and wanted to 'go with' that. It was important to go gently and not lose more than we gained. So for the first year or so it was very much a case of clearing the decks and giving what was already there a chance to show itself. Some things were dead, especially in the meadow, and a chain saw was purchased to help us get rid of the dead torsos of apple trees. Much sweat and energy was expended on removing stumps. There were plants scattered all over the place in strange little borders in the meadow. I popular style in suburban lawns but neve going to work, let alone look suitable, in the midst of meadowland. These were, unsurprisingly, choked with weeds and so we abandoned them as a bad idea and set about salvaging what we could, bringing the surviving plants...roses and cotton lavender amongst them...nearer towards the house. We decided to keep the garden area close to the house, where the hedges could protect from wind-borne seeds and the hard landscaping gave structure. The rest of the land was to be orchard in a mini-parkland sort of way. A plan of the potager....it took us several years to get it all cleared of bushes and undergrowth and gradually back into some kind of use! The only plants we found surviving in the tangled mass (like a scene from The Lost World when we first took it on) were two redcurrant bushes and an apple tree (Granny Smith I think) ....and they were stunted and choked. Oh, and a few straggly raspberry canes which, after being pruned hard back have now thrived. We also found we have some excellent fertilizer readily available in the form of the wood-ash and charcoal from the log fire. Its particulary good on tomatoes and other fruit and so they get a regular dusting over. Its a messy job, but it does produce the best, most juicy raspberries in Normandy!
The colombage architecture readily lends itself to being framed by a traditional 'cottage garden'. And of course it provides a lovely setting for eating outdoors! We have grown fragrant plants, lavender and roses near our table. The gravel is ideal too, as we can still eat outside straight after a shower.
Peter in the potager at Le Chatel....a 'work in progress'!
