Provence style garden...any ideas?

14 years ago

I still have one area of the potager that needs some design help. I'm putting (on the outside of the fence) blueberries on one side, shrubs and perennials to attract bugs on the next side, asparagus with some flowers on the third side, but the front side needs some help. I would love to do some sunflowers and other "provence" style flowers that would really say "sunny french country garden" as you walk up to the main entrance of the potager.

It's a fairly long space (maybe 40' feet) with an entrance roughly in the middle. Still trying to decide on type of gate too. The side with the asparagus has a small arch and gate with clematis that will be planted there. That faces the road, but this side faces the house and is on the southwest side of the garden. Any suggestions? Thanks :)

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Comments (7)

chickadeemelrose
14 years ago
I have never been to Provence, but I know that quite a few Impressionist painters painted there. You might want to check out their paintings (Monet, etc.) to see what appears in their paintings, especially landscapes and garden paintings.

I have always had the impression that lavender features in the gardens of Provence. (Whoa! lavender lass!)

Good luck with ideas!

Donna
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lisa33
14 years ago
Lots of green, well-manicured boxwoods, lots of herbs like rosemary, terra cotta in droves, maybe an arbor with a grape vine? Lots of yellow and gold and orange counterbalanced with blues and lavender.

Sounds pretty!

Lisa
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I agee with meldy, loads of lavender. They need huge amounts of drainage. The ones at the edge of my bed which had stones in it (from when the street wasn't paved) did marvelously. I wouldn't doubt for a moment, if you lined the bottom of a bed with "driveway gravel", they'd succeed. I imagine the French have many herbs in their gardens. Maybe? For low maintenance, hot as hades lover, daylily. I have a cool drink of lemonade daylily 'Ice Carnival', which looks great with deep dark and light purples. Daisies, shasta or otherwise. For romance, she'd need a rose or two, pink, something hardy. Would 'Cecile Brunner' fit the bill? I don't grow roses because I just don't have the time, but they sure make a garden a garden, if you know what I mean. Dark purple clematis. I have to say, I had a purple flowering plum I was in love with. It had purple trunk, pink flowers and burgundy/purple flowers. Pretty easy to grow and looked good with yellow, purple, pink color palate. The only reason I don't have it any more is, we moved.
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Provincial gardens are among my favorites. They are more my style; more relaxed and calming, I think. Lavender and Rosemary are deer-proof and very French. Garden sage and all Salvias, as well. Plants with pungent aromas to their leaves. Many plants now have labels saying deer proof. There are many to choose from. I like Rose Campion and California poppies mixed in with the above. I like the smell of Curry plant. It looks great in a Provincial garden and grows well with Lavenders and etc. Columnar evergreens (dwarf size) would be very Provincial on either side of your gateway. Pyracantha (Firethorn) eventually grows into a big shrub and is quite lovely with its orange or red berries. The thorns make it deer proof, I believe. I love Santolina. It has silvery foliage and tiny yellow flowers on tallish stems. Here is a good description I found on the web: ---------------------------------- "SANTOLINA Lavender Cotton is the common name of this fibrous-rooted woody-crowned mounding perennial, perfect for edging garden beds or walkways. Drought-resistant, this Zone 6 hardy plant favours well-drained, sandy or loamy soil in full sun. Keep plants bushy by pruning back hard after flowering has finished. Santolina chamaecyparissus: Lavender Cotton, 1-2' tall, grayish-white, woolly, divided foliage, small yellow flowers where: bed or walkway edges, knot gardens." -------------------------------------------- It is a lovely plant for Provincial gardens. It grows well with Lavenders and Rosemary. Fluffy grasses, like Maiden Grass would also look good in one spot as an accent plant. All of these have the same soil and water requirements, so good choices to grow together. Bloom colors are very complimentary, too. There are many other plants to choose from in the deer-proof category. If it is juicy and/or sweet, then the deer will love them. If it is pungent and/or woody or wooly, they are less likely. ~Annie
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When I think of the south of France I think of stone patios with huge pots of flowers, fields of lavender and sunflowers, stone walls, espaliered fruit, and rampant vines. In that Mediterranean climate one could grow a lot of things altho I'm sure a few would survive your zone. You might browse thru this blog to see if there are any ideas. http://heartinprovence.blogspot.com/ Topiaries are French - see this link: http://fabulouslyfrench.blogspot.com/ and here: http://www.topiaireextraordinaire.fr/ At this last site check out all the pages as their are pics on every one. Might be some inspiration here altho they live in Normandy: http://myfrenchcountryhome.blogspot.com/ This blogger is from the Dordogne which, while not Provence, is in the south of France. http://ourfrenchgarden.blogspot.com/ Their holiday cottages also have some garden pics. http://www.lebanquet.com/ If you need any more French blogs there's a list here: http://vosgesparis.blogspot.com/ You might also google French gites to see some real French gardens surrounding holiday homes. If I were in a warmer climate I'd have a collection of lavender plants. There are so many different kinds. In my zone I have to be satisfied with Munstead altho this year I also bot a small lavender Dentata which has such wonderful scented foliage. I'm growing it in a large pot on my deck as it's a zone 8 plant so is an annual in my zone 3. Lavender Dentata as it has 'toothed' leaves. I often just run my hand over the leaves and the scent stays on my hands. Wonderful plant and well worth the $2 I paid for it. I've already cut some of the flowers and foliage in this pic.
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Well, no responses yet, but I have hope that someone may be reading this :) After talking to Mom, we have decided to make some changes to the kitchen garden. She is going to grow some crops that are harder to grow here and I am going to do a real potager! She's two miles away, but no creek and she has frost a couple of weeks later than I do, so she's going to take the melons and some of the squash. She also will be doing more corn, which will leave me some room to design a more formal potager. I'm hoping that after I get through my "provence garden" (still hoping for some help with this) I can have a covered arch into the potager, which will have a bird bath in the center with flowers around it. Four L-shaped beds will be in the middle, surrounding the bird bath and then beds along the edge of the potager. Half of these will be for vegetables and half for herbs and strawberries. I hope to have flowers mixed in with everything. The back side is bordered by a very large lilac hedge, the left side by sheds and the right side will have raspberries (purple and red). The front will hopefully have roses and lavender if the deer cooperate, otherwise deer-resistant perennials :)
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tammyinwv
14 years ago
I just bought some Peach Passion Sunflowers to plant in the front bed. I needed something low growing that wouldnt block the sun. You got some wonderful ideas above. I dont know know anything about Provence style.
tammy
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lavender_lass
Original Author
14 years ago
After trying to come up with ideas, I'm thinking of using some of the flowers (sunflowers, lavender, geraniums) in front of the potager. Herbs and a few gallica roses already have a spot in the potager. The hard part is finding plants that will winter over in our zone, so boxwoods are difficult.

It's a pretty big space, so I'm thinking maybe I'll put in the sunflowers along the back and have some lavender by the gate and some pots for the geraniums, but the main part of the front bed might be a good place for my Cinderella pumpkins and the bean teepee and watermelons my nephew wants to grow :) He's very excited to try baby pumpkins and climbing beans on the teepee and all the types of watermelons he can find! LOL
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chickadeemelrose
14 years ago
Hi,

After deliberating for a few days on the idea of a theme for my potager, I kept leaving the "Irish Garden" idea (it kept sounding bleak) and coming back to the Monet painting "The Artist's Garden at Vetheuil." I have a copy of it on my fridge. It really is how I want my garden to look. It's colorful, has a child playing on the path, and sunflowers lining the path. I had this effect in my potager two years ago, so I am going to return to that theme, only add whatever personal touches I can come up with!

I finished the little walkway today to make the entrance to the garden nicer (and avoid tripping!) Between that being done and deciding what feeling I want the garden to have I am thrilled!

lavender lass, it sounds like you have a good handle on your plan as well. I can just see the geraniums in pots, the sunflowers and lavender - beautiful. Not to mention the pumpkins and watermelon! Your nephew is very lucky to have you for an auntie!

I am dying to post some photos and will as soon as I can.
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lavender_lass
Original Author
14 years ago
Donna- A Monet inspired garden sounds wonderful! Sunflowers lining a path...very romantic/old world feel to the garden. Depending on how big your garden is (or if you have other areas) you could still do a small "Irish garden" corner :)

I'm doing that in the potager...most of it is kind of a provence/mediterranean feel, but I do have the Peter Rabbit garden on one end. I think it will work, since there are "kid touches" all through the garden...and the fairy garden is not too far from the potager! LOL
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ali-b
14 years ago
Must add my 2 cents on the Irish theme. Chickadee, if you do decide on an Irish corner, I recommend planting some shamrocks bulbs (oxalis). I threw some in my front perimeter bed. They have reddish green leaves and deep pink flowers. So cute. I have mini ones, but at my other house, I had bigger shamrocks that bloomed all summer.
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Provence style garden...any ideas?

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Provence style garden...any ideas?

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