Mouzay - new boundary hedge

Planted new boundary hedge, mixed flowering shrubs which will be left to grow to their full size.

Apricot and Cherry tree planted in front, in between two existing mature fruit trees.

Will return to see their progress and perhaps next time we'll take better photo's!

Client: Anna Tanvir, Mouzay

Mouzay - long summer flowering view from kitchen

Following our last visit..when we cleared away the summers growth & broke up the big lumps of earth,

we went away again to wait for autumn and ground to soften up!

We returned in early November & strimmed where the grass is to stay and dug over and removed weeds where flowering perennials and annuals are going to be planted.

We have shaped the hill slightly..(or emphasied the shape it had already settled into :)) to allow for a grass path over as well as around...thus being described as the telly tubby hill more and more but better that than the 'fosse pile' ;D

In this visit we cleared the bed along the deck and planted with a range of sun loving, tall, robust and colourful perennials to get the 'flowering view' started as soon as possible.

The verbena bonariensis, echinacea, leucantheum, hemerocalis etc. should flower in their first year and survive will little or no watering or maintenance, except for a chop back at the end of the season.

The 'hill' is now ready and waiting for a spring planting of many small perennials, mostly varied colour achilleas, grasses, verbena bonariensis to help create a dense mass of naturalistic planting to flower through out the summer and beyond.

Courtyard garden - Azay-le-Rideau PROGRESS

http://chezaniagardens.blogspot.com/2010/10/courtyard-garden-azay-le-rideau.html

A pause in the ongoing building work brings us back to the courtyard at Azay le Rideau.

No surprises...the weeds have been busy since we were last here

Prep and layout of the concrete sub base in preparation for their new patio.

Then we will be back in the New Year after the interior is done & the windows are fitted to construct the pergola for existing mature wisteria.

l'art & lard - le Petit Pressigny

Success!! Trout and cat fish (truite et poisson chat!) 2009

Poterie 2009

l'art & Lard - Fete d'automne

le Petit Pressigny 37

dimanche 10 octobre 2010 10h-18h

les delices de Pressigny-le-Savoureulx

Activities include, trout fishing for 3-12 years, guess weight of the fish..pottery workshop, face paint and trampoline also for the children. Local food, drink producers, services and artisans will be there, the art is displated throughout the village in gardens, courtyards and caves.

Come and see us at the autumn fayre in le Petit Pressigny on Sunday 10th October where we will be hopefully enjoying some fine weather, good local food and perhaps even winning the odd fish or two from our pitch on the village square ;D

We will have walnuts, hazlenuts, pumpkins and plants for sale and would be happy to discuss any plans you may have for your garden in the coming months.

Bon weekend! Alex & Nicole

PS...Have not got to grips with either copying text into a google blog OR the means to add accents to french text within a google blog...that is my excuse for remaining in English....will try harder..

Potager to be - Mouzay

Clearing ex-hedge which has morphed into tall light stealing trees over recent years into manageable height and depth ready for bonfire to sterlise soil and kill grass and weeds this autumn.

Next step later in Autumn...build raised beds ready for 'Potager season 2011' ;D

The potager makes way for croquet lawn - le Petit Pressigny

http://chezaniagardens.blogspot.com/2009/11/potager-project-le-petit-pressigny.html

The potager has been regularly cut throughout the year and a pear tree moved from another garden in Spring.

We have been back in September to help with the preparation of the croquet lawn. After killing off the weeds. The top layer of the soil has been turned and raked to remove stones and remaining weed roots (dandelion, thistle etc..).

We are back to sow the grass seed in this lovely soft October (so far ;D) and hoping the mild, even warm weather with regular night rain continues.

In November an apricot and apple tree will be planted too and iris and other flowering plants moved from where they have outgrown to provide a backdrop.

Update on the apero spot in Preuilly-sur-Claise

Check out the finished article - link to property owners blog, Cheers Simon and Susan :D
http://http//daysontheclaise.blogspot.com/2010/09/our-garden-yesterday.html

Update: New bed in front of 2 gites, les Limornieres longere lavender bed

Early June, Saule (left) and Noix (right).

Update at the end of the first season - the climbing plants have made good progress in their first season. The lavender all provided a great display of fragrance, colour and flowers - filled with hummingbird hawkmoths, bees, and butterflies.

They were planted as small young plants and so remain as individual balls. To ensure a long season of colour and flowers, we underplanted with allium and sowed cosmos seeds.

Next year I expect we will want to remove some of the cosmos as the lavender bulks up but the allium should be able to remain and provide flowers before the lavender does its thing.

Oct 2010

Before: http://chezaniagardens.blogspot.com/2009/11/create-lavender-bed-plant-supports-for.html

Restoring hedge - Mouzay

Before. Phase I

Asked to reduce height of Privett hedge to gain view across fields and encourage new growth to dead looking gappy bottom of ground level to 50-80cm.

We have a good 1-2 years for the hedge to be in best state as the property is just coming to the end of being a building site. We are going to be working on other areas of the garden itself to help get it in shape to match its new home in the coming months.

As the privett hedge is providing a screen for the ongoing 'works' for the timebeing we decide to cut down the inside shade side of the hedge to 15-20cm below the desired hedge height during the first sign of a week of damp and rain.

We will be back after the last of the hard winter (dry, NE winds and -18 degs C last year so playing it a bit safe ;D). Our next step will be to cut down the outer side of the hedge and give it all a good load of organic matter at its feet to encourage a vigorous growth in the Spring next year. We plan to trim the new growth to desired height and depth next autumn.

Next...'Flowers' - Mouzay

We have been asked to make a plan to improve the view of the mound of earth that is the very necessary fosse filter bed...'flowers' and a better view is the only request, no deep penetrating roots is the consideration we have to think about.... ;D

The satellite dish is being moved elsewhere..we have suggested a small area of deck to cover the actual concrete septic tank (fosse) whilst still allowing access for maintenance (and perhaps a morning coffee or evening apero spot :D). The deck will also provide a step off the veranda and into the garden via a cut grass path.

We are planning to plant the 'mound' with perrennials & annuals which happily self-seed in this region. Plants such as Alliums, achilleas, verbena, calendula & grasses...and mixing in a cut grass path and grass circle on the top off the sun trap mound, this area will provide a great flower filled view from the kitchen from April-Oct.

Maintenance: the seed heads can be left all winter or strimmed off for a tidier result - or all strimmed early spring before all the new growth starts growing again.

We will be back with more photo's and progress report in Nov.

Courtyard garden - Azay-le-Rideau

BEFORE/AVANT - Garden in 'post-house renovation' state... ;D

Brief to provide terrasse, pergola to provide shade and extend to support existing mature wisteria. Gravel remaining ground, save beds with bulbs and low matenane, drought tolerant perennials.

Work to clear site & mark out new terrasse, footings for pergola etc. starts 11th October 2010.

More photo's to follow.

Post storm damage repairs to established rose arbour - Leugny

Following the destruction caused by Tempete Xynthia in Feb 2010, we helped owners to repair the structure. We took the opportunity to remove dead & damaged wood from the established rose collection before re-tieing in all stems in anticipation of the flowers to come.

After a long cold Spring, we were rewarded with a fantastic display by summer. Photo to follow next year as I failed to coincide having a camera when the flowers were out ;D.

Block up old doorway in outbuilding - Preuilly-sur-Claise

Before: gap in outbuilding.
Plan for 'apero terrace' means this needs to be blocked up to create 'corner'.

See later posts for progress on this.

Hidden garden pruning - le Petit Pressigny

Here we were Autumn 2009 in lePP & as the maintenance work in the garden is ongoing, I thought a photo update would be an idea. Above: the fig which had grown to over 6m high & way too deep was pruned and tied into the wall whilst dormant. By May signs of new growth are in evidence, and the sunlight is now to be seen too!

Repairs to the wall capping follow: