{"id":10601,"date":"2022-05-24T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-05-23T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/?post_type=purple_issue&p=10601"},"modified":"2022-05-24T18:17:41","modified_gmt":"2022-05-24T16:17:41","slug":"french-lessons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/2022\/05\/24\/french-lessons\/","title":{"rendered":"French lessons"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There\u2019s much to learn from this young, yet innovative garden in southwest France when it comes to interesting Mediterranean plant choices<\/p>\n\n

WORDS NOEL KINGSBURY | PHOTOGRAPHS CLAIRE TAKACS<\/p>\n\n

\"\"
Stipa gigantea<\/em> makes a fine focal point among the lush growth of several Miscanthus <\/em>cultivars and Pennisetum orientale <\/em>\u2018Tall Tails\u2019. Such an abundance of big ornamental grasses is a surprise in this dry-summer garden but they flourish here thanks to a relatively high water table and fertile alluvial soil. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n
<\/div>
\n
IN BRIEF<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

What <\/strong>A garden made by two horticulture and design professionals.
Where <\/strong>Southwest France.
Size <\/strong>2,275 square metres.
Soil <\/strong>Alluvial, free-draining.
Climate <\/strong>Mediterranean, unpredictable and harsh. Dry winters, periodic heavy rainfall in autumn and spring, and hot, dry summers. Temperatures range from -15\u00baC in winter to 40\u00baC in summer.
Hardiness zone <\/strong>USDA 8.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n

It\u2019s not often that your first sight of a garden is from above. But Le Jardin Champ\u00eatre in the Occitanie region of southwest France offers just that opportunity. Set in a river valley, the garden sits four metres below the road allowing you the opportunity to take in the garden\u2019s informally arranged shrubs, grasses and perennials, before climbing down to explore its gravel pathways more fully.<\/p>\n\n

This view from the road was one of the reasons, its owners Imogen Checketts, a former head gardener at Pensthorpe Natural Park in Norfolk, and horticulturist Kate Dumbleton bought the land to base both their garden design practice and a small nursery. \u201cWe love the landscape here,\u201d says Kate. \u201cWe are in a small, fertile river valley but we have limestone behind us. In minutes you can be high up looking at the Pyrenees, and there are miles and miles of wild landscape with wildflowers such as euphorbias, lavender and phlomis.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

The landscape and its flora has informed not just the pair\u2019s own garden but also the plants they offer clients through their garden design practice. \u201cOur extra layer is the grasses,\u201d says Imogen. These thrive in the alluvial soil, which combines being free-draining with having a relatively high water table. Grasses and perennials establish quickly, but there is now a taller woody plant layer developing made up of various species of Phillyria, <\/em>the strawberry tree Arbutus <\/em>unedo, <\/em>Rhamnus <\/em>alaternus <\/em>and Pistacia <\/em>lentiscus <\/em>\u2013 all classic western Mediterranean species. These are growing and, in some cases, being pruned into more tree-like forms, partly to create space beneath for planting. To begin with the pair grew annuals too, which they found were good early year fillers, but offered too short a season.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

There is a huge range of plants that can thrive in dry summer climates, but traditionally remarkably few have been used in gardens. That is starting to change, in no small part thanks to the influence of Olivier Filippi, whose celebrated nursery, P\u00e9pini\u00e8re Filippi with its 2,000 or so different plant lines, is around an hour-and-a-half \u2019s drive from Le Jardin Champ\u00eatre. Filippi has done much to make the case for drought-tolerant planting, and is inspiring many other innovative gardeners.<\/p>\n\n

\"\"
Pistacia lentiscus<\/em>, pruned to show its multistemmed trunk, will be a long-term component of this part of the garden. The mat-forming Frankenia laevis<\/em> is an effective low groundcover, surrounded by delicate flowers, including Verbena bonariensis<\/em> and Catananche caerulea<\/em>, and grasses such as blue-grey Helictotrichon sempervirens<\/em>. Although there is no gravel garden here, Imogen and Kate make extensive use of gravel mulching, which helps to reduce weed seed germination as well as keeping the soil cool and moist.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n
\"\"
Looking out over the garden from the entrance you\u2019re met with a sea of lush green, created mainly with different cultivars of Miscanthus<\/em>. Later in the summer these will flower and the seedheads will last well into the winter.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

At Le Jardin Champ\u00eatre there is evidence of this strong sense of innovation, experimentation and indeed iconoclasm. \u201cWe\u2019re dropping lavenders,\u201d states Imogen. \u201cIn our clients\u2019 gardens we are often using Eriogonum fasciculatum <\/em>instead.\u201d While some might deem it almost sacrilege to omit lavender from a Mediterranean-zone palette, it is a relatively short-lived plant that ages badly and cannot be regenerated by hard pruning. Eriogonum fasciculatum <\/em>may lack lavender\u2019s colourful flowers and scent, but it does make a far better low, grey-leaved shrub, and it can be pruned hard to produce nicely bushy plants. And its papery flowers are also, like many of the plants at Le Jardin Champ\u00eatre, adored by pollinators. \u201cIt\u2019s important to have plants that have an additional use, such as for wildlife\u201d says Imogen. Two other plants she highlights as being great pollinator magnates are Salvia <\/em>\u2018Allen Chickering\u2019 and Origanum syriacum. <\/em><\/p>\n\n

Pruning is an important part of the management of many Mediterranean plants, and to a large extent mimics the constant nibbling by goats and sheep that many plants naturally receive. \u201cSome clients need guidance on pruning,\u201d says Kate. \u201cIt\u2019s important to know when to trim these plants.\u201d Light pruning can prolong the lifespans of cistus and lavender, while some such as santolina can be regenerated by harder pruning. Pruning also helps reduce drought stress in the summer. The other, even more useful piece of advice they pass on to clients is to plant small. Small plants will adapt rapidly to the soil conditions and send roots downwards wherever necessary to access moisture. At Le Jardin Champ\u00eatre Imogen and Kate water plants only in their first year then not at all once they are established.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

\"\"
The rich garrigue flora of the surrounding limestone hills helps to inspire Imogen and Kate\u2019s planting. Lavenders provide early summer interest, alongside the yellow Petrosedum rupestre<\/em>, which functions as a drought-tolerant groundcover, alongside Russian sage, Salvia yangii<\/em>, a reminder that central Asian steppe species often flourish in Mediterranean gardens.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

While their garden offers opportunities for Imogen and Kate to trial techniques and plants, it is also a garden designed to be enjoyed \u2013 and to act as a stylish showcase for the nursery and design practice. \u201cWe have open weekends, which we find more effective than regular opening,\u201d says Kate. Their client base comes entirely by word of mouth, which has its benefits, but as Kate points out can bring its own problems. \u201cThere is the challenge of doing different plantings in places where so many people know each other \u2013 we don\u2019t want to repeat ourselves,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n

Still a young garden, Le Jardin Champ\u00eatre will be exciting to watch in future years. Part of a new generation of Mediterranean-zone gardens that are dramatically increasing planting possibilities, its flora and experience may well help gardens elsewhere make the necessary adaptations to climate change.<\/p>\n\n

USEFUL INFORMATION <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Address <\/strong>19 bis Avenue de la Montagne Noire, 11160 Caunes-Minervois, France. Tel <\/strong>+33 (0)7 80 43 32 62 Web <\/strong>lejardinchampetre.com<\/a> Open <\/strong>The garden will open this summer in partnership with the Caunes-Minervois arts trail on 18-19 June, 2-3 July and 16-17 July, 4pm-8pm.<\/p>\n\n

\n\n

Four combinations from Le Jardin Champ\u00eatre<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n

Grasses, including the short-lived but readily self-seeding Stipa tenuissima<\/em> (1), thrive in the garden\u2019s alluvial soil, but are an unusual sight in Mediterranean gardens. More common is Achillea coarctata<\/em> (2), an effective groundcover species that Imogen and Kate use as a lawn alternative. They\u2019re starting to phase out high-maintenance lavenders, such as Lavandula <\/em>x intermedia<\/em> \u2018Impress Purple\u2019 (3) and \u2018Alba\u2019 (4) and slowly replacing with Eriogonum fasciculatum<\/em> (5).<\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n

The foliage of Miscanthus sinensis<\/em> \u2018Saturnia\u2019 (1) creates a lush lead for this border alongside Bupleurum fruticosum <\/em>(2), which dominates here. It\u2019s a long-lived shrub that rapidly establishes itself and is ideal for dry summer climates. Here this remarkably useful shrub works well with Euphorbia characias<\/em> subsp. wulfenii <\/em>(3), the blue Salvia yangii <\/em>(4), which flowers later than many dry-habitat species, and self-seeding purple Verbena bonariensis <\/em>(5).<\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n

Planting is in layers, covering all the soil with a base dominated by grasses, including the silvery heads of Pennisetum orientale<\/em> (1) and tufted bluegreen leaves of Schizachyrium scoparium<\/em> (2). At the back Amelanchier canadensis<\/em> (3) and tall grass Stipa gigantea<\/em> (4) are underplanted with bulbs, including Allium sphaerocephalon<\/em> (5) and A. cristophii<\/em> (6), its seedheads left to prolong interest, and perennials, such as Berkheya purpurea<\/em> \u2018Zulu Warrior\u2019 (7).<\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n

Grasses again add structure to this border, with Miscanthus sinensis <\/em>\u2018Yaku-jima\u2019 (1) and Stipa gigantea<\/em> (2) giving both shade and protection from wind to the planting below. Here the muted whites of Eriogonum fasciculatum<\/em> (3) and Achillea millefolium <\/em>(4), and grey spires and foliage of Stachys byzantina<\/em> (5), contrast with the bold flowers of Lavandula<\/em> x intermedia<\/em> \u2018Impress Purple\u2019 (6) adding a burst of colour.<\/p>\n\n

\n\n

16 KEY PLANTS FRO LE JARDIN CHAMP\u00caTRE <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

1 <\/strong>Catananche caerulea <\/em><\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n

Short-lived perennial, with greyish foliage and violet-blue flowers. Plants are narrow so best grown in groups or intermingled with other plants. 1m x 30cm. RHS H5, USDA 4a-7b\u2020<\/sup> . <\/p>\n\n

2 <\/strong>Echinops ritro <\/em><\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n

Thistle-like foliage in a non-spreading clump. Flowers followed by short-lived but attractive seedheads. 90cm x 45cm. RHS H7, USDA 3a-8b. <\/p>\n\n

3 <\/strong>Eragrostis elliottii <\/em><\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n

A beautiful, clump-forming grass from the southeastern USA that excels in hot, dry conditions. Its fine, fawn-coloured foliage ages to tan, and in late summer its arching stems are topped with delicate smoky-grey flowers followed by attractive seedheads. 80cm x 60cm. USDA 6a-9b. <\/p>\n\n

4 <\/strong>Eriogonum fasciculatum <\/em><\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n

A long-lived shrub native to the American West Coast, with papery, grey-white flowers and attractive small leaves. Can be hardpruned and is very drought tolerant. 1.8m x 2.4m. USDA 7a-11. <\/p>\n\n

5 <\/strong>Frankenia laevis <\/em><\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n

A mat-forming perennial that is the shortest of the groundcovers Imogen and Kate grow. Its foliage turns a lovely red in autumn. Probably not as drought-tolerant as thymes. 1-4cm.<\/p>\n\n

6 <\/strong>Glaucium flavum <\/em><\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n

The yellow-horned poppy is a short-lived perennial, often grown as a biennial, with striking orange flowers and seedpods. A coastal plant, it has a habit to self-seed in stony places. 50cm x 30cm. RHS H4, USDA 5b-10b. <\/p>\n\n

7 <\/strong>Origanum syriacum <\/em><\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n

A semi-shrubby oregano relative that has a rather leggy habit, but can be pruned into shape. It\u2019s one of the key ingredients of za\u2019atar, <\/em>used in Middle Eastern cooking. 60cm x 45cm. RHS H4, USDA 9a-10b. <\/p>\n\n

8 <\/strong>Pennisetum orientale <\/em>\u2018Tall Tails\u2019 <\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n

One of the best of the genus, forming slowly expanding clumps of neat foliage and creamy, pink-tinged flowerheads. Not notably drought-tolerant. 1.5m x 90cm. RHS H3, USDA 5a-8b. 16 key plants continues on page 93<\/p>\n\n

9 <\/strong>Achillea crithmifolia <\/em><\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n

A drought-tolerant groundcover with grey foliage that Imogen and Kate keep mown short like a lawn. It\u2019s strongly spreading, so best kept to areas where it can be contained or spread isn\u2019t a problem. 20cm. <\/p>\n\n

10 <\/strong>Achillea coarctata <\/em><\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n

Another groundcover that Imogen and Kate also mow like a lawn, but slower growing than A. crithmifolia <\/em>and with a more patchy appearance. Elegant silvery leaves and attractive yellow flowers. 15cm. <\/p>\n\n

11 <\/strong>Achillea millefolium <\/em><\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n

The common and best-known yarrow, it is also a notably drought-tolerant potential groundcover, but with lusher foliage. Flowers are usually white. 90cm x 60cm. RHS H7, USDA 3a-9b. <\/p>\n\n

12 <\/strong>Allium cristophii <\/em><\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n

Spectacular large heads of metallic purple flowers are followed by seedheads that last until early autumn. Good for drier soils. 60cm x 20cm. RHS H5, USDA 4a-8b. <\/p>\n\n

13 <\/strong>Allium sphaerocephalon <\/em><\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n

Dark purple flowerheads on what is a narrow and insubstantial plant, so best grown in quantity and scattered among other plants. 90cm x 8cm. AGM*. RHS H6, USDA 4a-8b. <\/p>\n\n

14 <\/strong>Asphodeline lutea <\/em><\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n

Striking, early summer, clump-forming perennial with upright stems. Good for dry or stony soils. 90cm x 30cm. RHS H4, USDA 6a-9b.<\/p>\n\n

15 <\/strong>Bulbine frutescens <\/em><\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n

Amazingly drought-tolerant, slowly spreading perennial, like a miniature Kniphofia. <\/em>Makes a good groundcover. 45cm x 45cm. RHS H3, USDA 9a-11.<\/p>\n\n

16 <\/strong>Bupleurum fruticosum <\/em><\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n

A rapidly growing, long-lived evergreen shrub with glossy, blue-green foliage and yellow flowers in summer. An excellent coastal plant. Easily clipped into various shapes. 2m x 2.5m. RHS H4.<\/p>\n\n

*Holds an Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society. \u2020<\/sup>Hardiness ratings given where available.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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