|
Post by breeze on Jan 27, 2016 1:04:58 GMT
When I got interested in gardening, I read every book by Gertrude Jekyll. She was the most influential English garden designer of her time (late 19 th and early 20 th century) and I did my best to design our own small garden in her style. Of course she had the English climate to work with, not the Pennsylvania climate to work against. She designed around 400 gardens, often collaborating with the architect Edwin Lutyens. The ideal in those times, for those who could afford it, was to have a Lutyens house surrounded by a Jekyll garden. There is only one such house and garden in France and it is my all-time favorite garden in France (so far). Here is Le Bois des Moutiers on a day in May.
|
|
|
Post by breeze on Jan 27, 2016 1:14:22 GMT
|
|
|
Post by breeze on Jan 27, 2016 1:48:33 GMT
|
|
|
Post by htmb on Jan 27, 2016 2:10:24 GMT
Beautiful! Where is Le Bois des Moutiers?
|
|
|
Post by breeze on Jan 27, 2016 3:03:10 GMT
|
|
|
Post by breeze on Jan 27, 2016 3:09:45 GMT
It's at Varengeville-sur-Mer, in the Seine-Maritime not far from Dieppe. The house sits high up but I think the property actually goes down to the sea, or at least there's a view of it on the other side of the house. On that slope toward the sea are a lot of huge rhododendrons. This area is just as well kept as the beds near the house.
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Jan 27, 2016 3:26:22 GMT
I am over the moon seeing these pictures, Breeze! Gertrude Jekyll is one of my own idols and I know exactly what you mean about trying to achieve that look in your own home patch. Your gorgeous photos really showcase that brilliant garden. Even though I can't tolerate cold climates, I adore that soft look afforded by the lush plants that love a winter rest. Thanks so much for this dream of beauty.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 27, 2016 5:15:03 GMT
Fantastic, but it looks like so much work -- organising nature to make it look natural! Searching for dead branches to cut or shoots to trim must seem like a daily treasure hunt.
|
|
|
Post by mossie on Jan 27, 2016 8:11:45 GMT
That is part of the joy of gardening Kerouac.
Thanks Breeze for showing this, I had no idea she had been to France.
|
|
|
Post by mickthecactus on Jan 27, 2016 8:34:18 GMT
What a beautiful garden but it does look very English.
Thanks Breeze.
|
|
|
Post by breeze on Jan 27, 2016 14:10:26 GMT
Bixa, another Jekyll fan! In Mexico you have so much more color available to you, not to mention the strong sunlight and deep shadows. Plants that Gertrude Jekyll never dreamed of, though she did love a yucca here and there as punctuation.
Mossie, you have the right attitude. Gardening never seems like work if you love it.
Kerouac, I’m a lazy gardener with unrealistic aspirations so it’s a real pleasure to me to see a well-kept garden.
Mick, it is so English. English gardens were always my ideal. After going down a lot of French back roads I had to admit that the French also are a nation of gardeners. I’m not keen on the more formal gardens but the French do love their vegetable gardens and climbing roses over the door and hydrangea borders. And they decorate their roundabouts and bridges to the max.
However, when I saw Le Bois des Moutiers it was, as bixa put it, a dream of beauty and I put the English gardens back on their pedestal.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 27, 2016 14:18:08 GMT
I too have always been a huge fan of Gertrude Jekyll. Her talent for combining and placement of certain plants that one would not think would look "right" or "work", she pulls off brilliantly. I also admire her use of foliage versus flashy blooming specimens that take away the effect of the whole bed as one. Everything just seems to blend together with a natural flow.
Elegant and understated.
I have worked on some huge estates in my time and indeed it is very laborious. A simple stroll around the garden at the end of the day, taking in all one's work that particular day is very satisfying and rewarding. There were certain days however, when a particular section had to be tended to and some of them I truly dreaded.
I don't see any water features in evidence. Were there any?
A gorgeous report. Thank you.
(Mossie, I imagine that Ms Jeklyl's talents were very high in demand based on her reputation and securing a commission in France comes as no surprise, and I imagine she made a pretty penny).
|
|
|
Post by mickthecactus on Jan 27, 2016 14:26:18 GMT
Bixa, another Jekyll fan! In Mexico you have so much more color available to you, not to mention the strong sunlight and deep shadows. Plants that Gertrude Jekyll never dreamed of, though she did love a yucca here and there as punctuation. Mossie, you have the right attitude. Gardening never seems like work if you love it. Kerouac, I’m a lazy gardener with unrealistic aspirations so it’s a real pleasure to me to see a well-kept garden. Mick, it is so English. English gardens were always my ideal. After going down a lot of French back roads I had to admit that the French also are a nation of gardeners. I’m not keen on the more formal gardens but the French do love their vegetable gardens and climbing roses over the door and hydrangea borders. And they decorate their roundabouts and bridges to the max. However, when I saw Le Bois des Moutiers it was, as bixa put it, a dream of beauty and I put the English gardens back on their pedestal. I can concur about French gardens as when I went to Le Touquet a few years back it was exactly that - veg gardens and decorative plants everywhere. Really lovely.
|
|
|
Post by breeze on Jan 27, 2016 16:31:04 GMT
Casimira, I was pretty sure you would be knowledgeable about her. What a treat it must have been to be able to work on estate gardens. Hard work I'm sure but to see your results on a grand scale, what a thrill. There is one Jekyll garden in the US, at a historic house in CT where E's sister was a docent. GJ was commissioned to do the garden in 1926 and created a plan without visiting the site. The garden wasn't actually installed till the 1970s for some reason. Casi, I didn't remember any water features at Le Bois des Moutiers but I looked through my photos and found there was a small pool.
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Jan 27, 2016 17:19:55 GMT
It is very English in some ways, but I love her nods to French formality, in particular to the massive clipped hedge walls whose swoops are downright playful.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 27, 2016 20:46:13 GMT
Can you imagine what those garden plans were worth monetarily? My goodness... I would be curious to know the whole story on this. A garden mystery of sorts perhaps. I may have to look into this. It's too intriguing to me to just let go. Bixa, I see it as very British in every way. I'm not too familiar with the French style of gardening of which you refer but, then again,I have never seen either other than in pictures and lengthy descriptions a la Sackville-West, and your favorite, Penelope Hobhouse ( ) both very British as well.
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Jan 27, 2016 21:18:44 GMT
All of French garden style cannot be typified by the Le Notre-style formal gardens, which were mostly the provenance of the aristocracy. There was a whole more Romantic style of gardening from @the 1700s, admittedly influenced by English style, plus what has come to be known as the French country garden style which probably grew out of expediency plus a love for beauty.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 27, 2016 21:36:04 GMT
I am really worried about stumbling across the Mr. Hyde garden by accident.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 27, 2016 22:39:56 GMT
All of French garden style cannot be typified by the Le Notre-style formal gardens, which were mostly the provenance of the aristocracy. There was a whole more Romantic style of gardening from @the 1700s, admittedly influenced by English style, plus what has come to be known as the French country garden style which probably grew out of expediency plus a love for beauty. Not for the sake of argument by any means but more of a love of discourse of period gardening which I welcome more knowledge of. I will argue or contend that what you speak of Bixa is purely of British origin until you get into the more romantic thematic French styles that are less rigid and more relaxed although, it did seem to take them awhile to get there. Please site me an example of what you describe so that I might agree with you. I agree with much of what you say but when you bring in the pruned hedges, I strongly beg to diferr.
|
|
|
Post by breeze on Jan 27, 2016 22:46:37 GMT
Casi, here's a clip from the Glebe House website. I'll ask my SIL tonight if she knows anything more.
"In 1926, the famed English horticultural designer and writer was commissioned to plan an "old fashioned" garden to enhance the newly created musuem. Gertrude Jekyll (pronounced jeek uhl) had a profound influence on modern garden design and is widely considered the greatest gardener of the 20th century. Although a small garden, when compared with the some 400 more elaborate designs she completed in England and on the continent, the Glebe House garden includes 600 feet of classic English style mixed border and foundation plantings, a planted stone terrace, and an intimate rose allee. For reasons unknown today, the garden Miss Jekyll planned was never fully installed in the 1920s and its very existence was forgotten. After the rediscovery of the plans in the late 1970s the project was begun in earnest and is now being completed according to the original plans."
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Jan 27, 2016 22:48:34 GMT
Pruned hedges and topiary abound in French gardens!
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 28, 2016 3:00:13 GMT
That sums up much of of what I surmised Ms.Jekylls overall attempt at achieving what she so masterly envisioned, be it a large estate with expansive space to allow many borders to display what she intuitively felt would "work", much like an architect which far too many people give credit to landscapers who generally are not regarded as designers in the same vein or what you mention created in a smaller space.
I am not familiar enough with the French "style"of clipped hedges and topiary and have never associated French gardening incorporating that particular style.
Perhaps I am confused and render my associations wrongly and need to pursue more enlightened examples.
Thank you Breeze for the more expansive history as it were of this creation.
|
|
|
Post by mickthecactus on Jan 28, 2016 8:27:43 GMT
Sackville -West was a great admirer of Jekyll and the famous white garden at Sissinghurst is very reminiscent of this garden.
|
|
|
Post by tod2 on Feb 4, 2016 7:32:37 GMT
Stunning photos and a feast of gardening. You took me around those splendid lawns and cascading flowers with delight! There is no doubt in my mind there must be a lot of gardeners taking care of this pristine garden.
|
|
|
Post by breeze on Feb 4, 2016 10:33:19 GMT
Tod, from what I've read of this garden it's not a big-budget operation. The articles I read a few years ago said the owners--it's still in the original family--were thinking of selling. If you go to their website (which is fun for the aerial view of the cliffs the garden sits on), they ask for donations on the opening page. www.boisdesmoutiers.com/On the day we were there we saw 3 or 4 men working in one garden room. I think probably overall there's a small crew of very hard workers and a couple of speed demons driving mowers to keep the huge lawns neat. If the future of this garden is still uncertain, maybe I'd better go back this spring for another look, and this time tour the house too. We heard that the GJ garden in Woodbury, CT isn't being kept up.
|
|
|
Post by bjd on Feb 4, 2016 11:10:46 GMT
I just found this thread -- I too admire Gertrude Jekyll's garden designs, but of course they are completely out of the question in a place the size of mine and in a climate like that of southern France. And even though I admire such gardens, I feel less and less like working in my own.
I don't think topiary (if by that you mean hedges clipped into odd shapes) is very common in French gardens -- the pruned bird in the photos above is rather weird in my eyes.
As far as I know, what is usually called a "French garden" is indeed rather formal, stiff and pruned -- like those areas around Versailles or the castles on the Loire. What I like is what is called a "jardin de curé", which is a mixture of fairly common flowers, bushes and vegetables all mixed together. Usually on a rather reduced surface. I have also noticed over the years that gardening in public parks in France has become much less "formal" over the years, with a greater combination of colours, heights of plants, etc. All to the good, in my opinion.
|
|