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Garden in France
Hi all,
I am looking for ideas for my French house's garden, ideally need to post pictures of what is here now and describe my ideas and get feedback. An online forum rather than usenet would be better if there are any good ones you chaps can recommend? otherwise i can post some pics and link to them here if this is the better place to get some advice from you kind people:-) Any advice welcomed:-) Cheers, Steve --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus |
#2
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Garden in France
"Chris Hogg" wrote in message ... On Sun, 19 Feb 2017 07:43:17 -0000, "Mr Sandman" wrote: Hi all, I am looking for ideas for my French house's garden, ideally need to post pictures of what is here now and describe my ideas and get feedback. An online forum rather than usenet would be better if there are any good ones you chaps can recommend? otherwise i can post some pics and link to them here if this is the better place to get some advice from you kind people:-) Any advice welcomed:-) Cheers, Steve This newsgroup has many very well qualified contributors, amateur and professional. It has to be one of the better sources of information on the net. But France is a big country with many climatic regions. Advice given will depend very much on where your house is; info on some or all of North, South, coastal, Massif Centrale, max/min temps and rainfall would all help with the advice given. -- Chris Thanks Chris, i will take some pics and put some thoughts together and get back to the group. Cheers! Steve Gardening in West Cornwall overlooking the sea. Mild, but very exposed to salt gales --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus |
#3
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Garden in France
On 19/02/17 07:43, Mr Sandman wrote:
Hi all, I am looking for ideas for my French house's garden, ideally need to post pictures of what is here now and describe my ideas and get feedback. An online forum rather than usenet would be better if there are any good ones you chaps can recommend? otherwise i can post some pics and link to them here if this is the better place to get some advice from you kind people:-) Any advice welcomed:-) Cheers, Steve Look around you and see what others are growing. It will give you an idea of what will grow in your area. For example, if you don't see any rhododendrons, you can be pretty sure the ground is too alkaline. If there are lots of prairie-type plants, then it is going to be hot and dry in summer and the soil probably poor nutritionally and free-draining. Visit local garden centres and see what they are offering. If there is a long-established one locally, ask their advice about local growing conditions and what plants do well. -- Jeff |
#4
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Garden in France
"Mr Sandman" wrote in message o.uk... Hi all, I am looking for ideas for my French house's garden, ideally need to post pictures of what is here now and describe my ideas and get feedback. An online forum rather than usenet would be better if there are any good ones you chaps can recommend? otherwise i can post some pics and link to them here if this is the better place to get some advice from you kind people:-) Any advice welcomed:-) Cheers, Steve Hi all, Here is a picture of the house from the lane at side of house. Just for perspective. http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...e/IMG_0315.jpg Here is a picture of the long fence as you drive up towards the house. It needs someone doing to hide it or break it up and I'm not sure what to do with it. I have put the odd rose up though... http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...e/IMG_0314.jpg Here is the main problem. This area at front of house we want to use in the cooler weather but at the moment it's just a sitting area in the middle of nowhere. I have had a suggestion to create some pergola or structure over the seating to enclose it a little and create a little dappled shade, or with a full roof, a nice sheltered area. Also extend the box shrubs behind the seats somehow. I am thinking it would be nice to make this area into a garden but with shrubs and trees etc coming out of the gravel? http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...e/IMG_0317.jpg http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...e/IMG_0318.jpg View from house. http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...e/IMG_0319.jpg Any suggestions comment welcomed:-) Many thanks, Steve --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus |
#5
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Garden in France
"Jeff Layman" wrote in message news On 19/02/17 07:43, Mr Sandman wrote: Hi all, I am looking for ideas for my French house's garden, ideally need to post pictures of what is here now and describe my ideas and get feedback. An online forum rather than usenet would be better if there are any good ones you chaps can recommend? otherwise i can post some pics and link to them here if this is the better place to get some advice from you kind people:-) Any advice welcomed:-) Cheers, Steve Look around you and see what others are growing. It will give you an idea of what will grow in your area. For example, if you don't see any rhododendrons, you can be pretty sure the ground is too alkaline. If there are lots of prairie-type plants, then it is going to be hot and dry in summer and the soil probably poor nutritionally and free-draining. Visit local garden centres and see what they are offering. If there is a long-established one locally, ask their advice about local growing conditions and what plants do well. -- Jeff Thanks Jeff. I have posted pics now, see other post. We are just north of Bordeaux, have palms, olive trees ect, but winter is short but can be cold -10c. On a hill so a bit exposed. Snow is rare but light. temps upto 42c in the summer, more commonly 32c. cheers steve --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus |
#6
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Garden in France
On 22/02/17 08:12, Mr Sandman wrote:
"Mr Sandman" wrote in message o.uk... Hi all, I am looking for ideas for my French house's garden, ideally need to post pictures of what is here now and describe my ideas and get feedback. An online forum rather than usenet would be better if there are any good ones you chaps can recommend? otherwise i can post some pics and link to them here if this is the better place to get some advice from you kind people:-) Any advice welcomed:-) Cheers, Steve Hi all, Here is a picture of the house from the lane at side of house. Just for perspective. http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...e/IMG_0315.jpg Here is a picture of the long fence as you drive up towards the house. It needs someone doing to hide it or break it up and I'm not sure what to do with it. I have put the odd rose up though... http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...e/IMG_0314.jpg Here is the main problem. This area at front of house we want to use in the cooler weather but at the moment it's just a sitting area in the middle of nowhere. I have had a suggestion to create some pergola or structure over the seating to enclose it a little and create a little dappled shade, or with a full roof, a nice sheltered area. Also extend the box shrubs behind the seats somehow. I am thinking it would be nice to make this area into a garden but with shrubs and trees etc coming out of the gravel? http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...e/IMG_0317.jpg http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...e/IMG_0318.jpg View from house. http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...e/IMG_0319.jpg Any suggestions comment welcomed:-) Many thanks, Steve The pics are helpful, but I have a couple of questions. Firstly, what direction does that front wall face? I assume it's south or west as you say you want to use it in cooler weather. Secondly, what's under the gravel? If it's just weedproof membrane over soil then you could plant in it. But if it's, for example, a few cm of gravel over maybe 20 cm of compressed hardcore then very little will grow unless you can dig out the hardcore and replace it with some soil. -- Jeff |
#7
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Garden in France
Hi all, I am looking for ideas for my French house's garden, ideally need to post pictures of what is here now and describe my ideas and get feedback. An online forum rather than usenet would be better if there are any good ones you chaps can recommend? otherwise i can post some pics and link to them here if this is the better place to get some advice from you kind people:-) Any advice welcomed:-) Cheers, Steve Hi all, Here is a picture of the house from the lane at side of house. Just for perspective. http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...e/IMG_0315.jpg Here is a picture of the long fence as you drive up towards the house. It needs someone doing to hide it or break it up and I'm not sure what to do with it. I have put the odd rose up though... http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...e/IMG_0314.jpg Here is the main problem. This area at front of house we want to use in the cooler weather but at the moment it's just a sitting area in the middle of nowhere. I have had a suggestion to create some pergola or structure over the seating to enclose it a little and create a little dappled shade, or with a full roof, a nice sheltered area. Also extend the box shrubs behind the seats somehow. I am thinking it would be nice to make this area into a garden but with shrubs and trees etc coming out of the gravel? http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...e/IMG_0317.jpg http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...e/IMG_0318.jpg View from house. http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...e/IMG_0319.jpg Any suggestions comment welcomed:-) Many thanks, Steve The pics are helpful, but I have a couple of questions. Firstly, what direction does that front wall face? I assume it's south or west as you say you want to use it in cooler weather. Secondly, what's under the gravel? If it's just weedproof membrane over soil then you could plant in it. But if it's, for example, a few cm of gravel over maybe 20 cm of compressed hardcore then very little will grow unless you can dig out the hardcore and replace it with some soil. -- Jeff Hi Jeff, yes you are right, the front wall faces due south, and the gravel has compressed crushed limestone underneath, so yes, i will need to do some work to plant it up. But as it happens, i have a digger on site in the next few months doing another job..... Steve :-) --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus |
#8
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Garden in France
On 22/02/17 22:18, Mr Sandman wrote:
Hi all, I am looking for ideas for my French house's garden, ideally need to post pictures of what is here now and describe my ideas and get feedback. An online forum rather than usenet would be better if there are any good ones you chaps can recommend? otherwise i can post some pics and link to them here if this is the better place to get some advice from you kind people:-) Any advice welcomed:-) Cheers, Steve Hi all, Here is a picture of the house from the lane at side of house. Just for perspective. http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...e/IMG_0315.jpg Here is a picture of the long fence as you drive up towards the house. It needs someone doing to hide it or break it up and I'm not sure what to do with it. I have put the odd rose up though... http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...e/IMG_0314.jpg Here is the main problem. This area at front of house we want to use in the cooler weather but at the moment it's just a sitting area in the middle of nowhere. I have had a suggestion to create some pergola or structure over the seating to enclose it a little and create a little dappled shade, or with a full roof, a nice sheltered area. Also extend the box shrubs behind the seats somehow. I am thinking it would be nice to make this area into a garden but with shrubs and trees etc coming out of the gravel? http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...e/IMG_0317.jpg http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...e/IMG_0318.jpg View from house. http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...e/IMG_0319.jpg Any suggestions comment welcomed:-) Many thanks, Steve The pics are helpful, but I have a couple of questions. Firstly, what direction does that front wall face? I assume it's south or west as you say you want to use it in cooler weather. Secondly, what's under the gravel? If it's just weedproof membrane over soil then you could plant in it. But if it's, for example, a few cm of gravel over maybe 20 cm of compressed hardcore then very little will grow unless you can dig out the hardcore and replace it with some soil. Hi Jeff, yes you are right, the front wall faces due south, and the gravel has compressed crushed limestone underneath, so yes, i will need to do some work to plant it up. But as it happens, i have a digger on site in the next few months doing another job..... Steve :-) Hope you see this OK as you use Windows Live Mail, and it's messed things up by putting your reply in after my sig. I've had to copy'n'paste your reply in, but it'll look like it's my text as there's no "" at the beginning of your text. Well, we are getting somewhere. That limestone means ericaceous plants really won't like the conditions. There are some lime-tolerant rhodos, and if you really want one then you'll have to look at some internet pages which cover them. There is a lot of information available on which shrubs and trees to avoid on alkaline soil, and similarly a lot on those which love it. I wouldn't bother putting ericaceous plants in containers with acid soil. As you pointed out that area will get very hot in summer and you'll be forever watering them (by the way, is your water chalky? If so, it's another good reason to avoid anything which doesn't like chalk and needs regular watering). For shrubs remember that area will get very hot, and things like cistus will go mad and romp away. You might want to consider any "Mediterranean" climate plants from the southern hemisphere and California (such as ceanothus). How well they do in winter might depend on exactly how cold it gets in winter, but remember that many American plants, particularly trees, grow better in a continental climate. They survive much colder weather than in the UK because the wood is ripened by extreme summer heat. In fact, many flower much better than they do here. To cover the fence you could grow various clematis and lonicera. You could do worse than put some climbing roses on that wall. They should do very well there. As to shade in summer, you could put up a pergola and grow a decent wisteria up and over it. The advantage is not only the wonderful flower display in April/May, but the foliage will provide ample shade in high summer, and when you need more light in winter, the leaves will have fallen. There are many other choices for climbers on a pergola; being where you are, you might find that a grape vine isn't exactly out-of-place! Remember that many plants need maintenance to keep them growing well, in particular pruning. And with a large garden that can take some time. You pretty much have a blank canvas on which to experiment. There will be mistakes, no doubt, but it will be a lot of fun. And one hell of a challenge! Bonne chance! -- Jeff |
#9
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Garden in France
On 23/02/17 09:13, Chris Hogg wrote:
On Thu, 23 Feb 2017 08:39:58 +0000, Jeff Layman wrote: a lot of god advice snipped Hmm, I've never considered myself all-knowing... ;-) -- Jeff |
#10
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Garden in France
"Chris Hogg" wrote in message ... On Thu, 23 Feb 2017 08:39:58 +0000, Jeff Layman wrote: a lot of god advice snipped In addition to everything Jeff said, you need to get some height in there to provide a bit of interest and break up that 'flat' appearance. In other words, a couple of trees. See what grows locally, or is available in local garden centres. Pinus pinaster grows well in the Landes Forest. Poplars also do well, apparently. But they'll not be instant solutions. For more ideas in the Bordeaux region, see http://www.greenart.com/plants-exped...1-forests.html You might even consider a grape or two on the fence. -- Chris Gardening in West Cornwall overlooking the sea. Mild, but very exposed to salt gales Thanks both for your help. So, for the fence, grow stuff on it as suggested? and may be a tree or two planted near to it to break up the length? You can see from the pictures i have recently planted a few trees in the garden but they will take a few years to really make their mark. for the seating area, a wooden pergola with wisteria growing up each leg. and what about the area behind the seats in front of the fence? just a selection of shrubs of various sizes to hide the fence and 'frame' the area a bit? as its all pebble ground there, i really want to avoid leaves being dropped, so maybe mostly ferns of varying types? Thanks for the advice:-) Cheers, Steve --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus |
#11
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Garden in France
On 02/03/17 08:06, Mr Sandman wrote:
Thanks both for your help. So, for the fence, grow stuff on it as suggested? and may be a tree or two planted near to it to break up the length? You can see from the pictures i have recently planted a few trees in the garden but they will take a few years to really make their mark. for the seating area, a wooden pergola with wisteria growing up each leg. and what about the area behind the seats in front of the fence? just a selection of shrubs of various sizes to hide the fence and 'frame' the area a bit? as its all pebble ground there, i really want to avoid leaves being dropped, so maybe mostly ferns of varying types? Thanks for the advice:-) Cheers, Steve You don't need four wisteria plants. One, perhaps two, will soon take over. One evergreen plant to cover the fence is Rubus tricolor, a superb plant with shiny leaves and red-brown hairy stems. If you want to take a chance, you could always try a passion flower, as they are a lot hardier than many think. If it survives, a machete should be on the list of required garden tools! I doubt many ferns are suitable for the area you mention; from what you said, it faces west, and will get very hot and dry in summer. Small cistus and similar plants would do very well, also some herbs such as rosemary. Maybe some of the giant alliums and things like kniphofia would add interest, and would take the heat easily. Also consider trying some eucalyptus, but quite a few get very big, very quickly! A few choice conifers of various colours and shapes (check for suitability on growing over chalk) would help break things up, too. -- Jeff |
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Garden in France
On Thu, 2 Mar 2017 08:06:50 Mr Sandman wrote:
So, for the fence, grow stuff on it as suggested? and may be a tree or two planted near to it to break up the length? You can see from the pictures i have recently planted a few trees in the garden but they will take a few years to really make their mark. Why not try a bougainvillea which you see happily scrambling across fences and walls from the Loire southwards? Very pretty! I would have mentioned it a few days ago but had forgotten the name! By the way, I had difficulty in replying to you as you posted your reply below the tear line (two hyphens and a space) and some mail readers don't include it in the quote. David -- David Rance writing from Caversham, Reading, UK |
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Garden in France
On 20/03/17 03:16, volt23 wrote:
'Mr Sandman[_3_ Wrote: ;1024115']Hi all, I am looking for ideas for my French house's garden, ideally need to post pictures of what is here now and describe my ideas and get feedback. An online forum rather than usenet would be better if there are any good ones you chaps can recommend? otherwise i can post some pics and link to them here if this is the better place to get some advice from you kind people:-) I tried to plane my own garden one time, but in result it was compleatly lame, becouse lack of exp, so u better try to call some pro's in that case. Casual amateurs tips will not make u garden of ur dream) You mean you want somebody else's ideas for *your* garden? There are many mistakes you can make of a practical kind, such as putting rhododendrons on chalky soil, sun-loving plants on a north-facing wall, or a pond under deciduous trees, etc, but these aren't design matters. If I want a good laugh I always look at the "inspired" gardens at Chelsea and Hampton Court. Well, they certainly make me take a deep breath just before a long sigh... -- Jeff |