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Forthcoming Events
24 March
Visit to Bulb'Argence
A visit to the nursery and bulb fields of this specialist grower of bulbs adapted to the Mediterranean climate. Lauw de Jaeger will give us a talk on bulb growing and a tour of the nursery.
28 and 29 April
Two day visit to the Minervois
An outing in the Minervois region of the Aude and Hérault led by Gill Pound, MGS member and proprietor of La Petite Pépinière, a nursery specialising in Mediterranean plants. The event will include a propagation workshop and garden tour, a botanical excursion in limestone uplands and a visit to the mature, woodland garden of the Domaine de Langel at Armissan, near Narbonne.
Liz Thompson, of Hidden Gardens Hidden France, will host a lunch at her home in Cesseras, and provide participants with details of options for overnight accommodation in the area.
If you are interested in attending any of these events, please email Christine Savage who will send more information.
27 May
Visit to Pépinière La Soldanelle and Jardin Elie Alexis, La Roquebrusanne, Var
The day will start with a tour by Sylvie and Christian Mistre of their nursery specialising in Mediterranean plants, then continue with a visit to the famous 'dry' garden of Elie Alexis. This garden, fashioned from a plot of wild 'garrigue' bought in 1928, is the lifetime creation of gardener, naturalist, botanist and entomologist Elie Alexis and is now cared for by the members of a preservation society who will take us on a tour.
This event has been arranged jointly with the Provence branch of the MGS.
Past Events
February 2010
A lecture on Pests, Diseases and Weeds
A group of members and guests gathered at a restaurant near the Pont du Gard to hear David Bracey give a talk on gardening problems. David had sent out a questionnaire to Languedoc members in advance and had received 27 responses, and from these he put together the material for his lecture.
We learned about how to focus on prevention and about effective biological methods of disease and pest control. Samples of weeds and damaged foliage were passed round for inspection and identification and a basket of cockchafer larvae was circulated. This led to a discussion on their beneficial presence in the compost heap but not in pots or in the cultivated garden. We concluded the session with an exchange of views on methods of weed control, then moved into the restaurant for a delicious lunch.
David is preparing an article for publication in the Journal which will provide a full analysis of the questionnaires and his suggestions for solutions to some of the problems raised.
Christine Savage
February 2010
A Garden Design Workshop led by Hilary Ivey
A new experience gathered eighteen members for the first meeting of 2010. We met at Jocelyn van Riemsdijk's new home to learn how to measure and draw up the layout of a garden. There was a fairly clean slate to work on at the back, the land had been cleared of undergrowth and old tree roots removed. We looked out on to a muddy rectangle with some oak, arbutus and Viburnum tinus. Jocelyn started by telling us what she wanted. The house is built on what was an old forest and Jocelyn would like to retain the feel of the forest and garrigue with a natural garden, low in water usage and maintenance. As for plants, she favours aromatic and grey-leaved plants though she has a special interest in plants from the Far East. A Koelreuteria paniculata is in a pot waiting for a planting site. Hilary then went through a check list of things to consider: existing features and changes desired, how to draw up a plan and position objects on it (in this case mostly trees). This involved learning about triangulation, far simpler than I had supposed. Hilary had provided each of us with a large plan showing an outline of the house and perimeter fencing. As the sun appeared, out we went with tape measures and drawing pads, one team tackled the north-facing front of the house and the rest of us put on boots, as it was muddy from heavy rain the day before, and went into the future back garden. We 'triangulated' the trees, imagined steps and paths, seeing carpets of cyclamen and cascades of roses, someone was even spotted crouching down to estimate the exact view from the bed in the master bedroom. By the end of the afternoon we had come up with suggestions that were, we hoped, respectful of Jocelyn’s wishes and from which she will be able to select ideas for the layout of her garden and some of the plants that she might put in it.
Thank you, Hilary, for guiding us through a thoroughly interesting and enjoyable exercise, no mean feat in one short February day. We hope, in the autumn, to meet again for another 'hands on' day helping Jocelyn to plant.
Katharine Fedden
November 2009
The MGS Garden at Sparoza, a talk by François Travert, Landscape Architect
A talk by François Travert, at a joint MGS/Hortus meeting, brought the garden of Sparoza and the surrounding countryside, including the Athens airport, very much alive. François spent two periods at Sparoza, the spring of 2003 and October/November 2008 (see his article in TMG 55, January 2009). François is a graduate of the École Nationale Supérieure de la Nature et du Paysage in Blois; since then, as well as his time at Sparoza, he has worked in the Netherlands, Canada, Syria and Colmar (France) and is currently teaching in Geneva. Next year he will start his own business as a landscape designer in the Lot.
François began with a quotation from Plato which described the countryside of Greece very much as it still was when Jaqueline Tyrwhitt started the garden in 1964. Now the countryside is under threat not only from building, which is going on all around the garden, but also because water is being used for the agriculture continuing on the hillside. The water levels are becoming alarmingly low and the annual rainfall is only about 400mm. The traditional farming was olives and vines, in strips which became narrower and narrower due to inheritance laws; each person had a strip of land wide enough for a row of olive trees and a row of vines. Jaqueline Tyrwhitt had to buy strips from fifteen different owners to acquire the land that is now the garden of Sparoza. The current building of villas on the hillside, with no reference to the existing landscape, is violent, old olive trees are uprooted and new ones planted, imported from Italy. In these surroundings Sparosa is an oasis of respectful gardening practice.
There seems to have been no tradition of gardening in Greece of the kind familiar from other countries: because of the shortage of water, the emphasis was given to fruit and vegetables and flowers were grown in pots near the house. The inspiration for Sparoza came from the coutryside surrounding the garden, the ordered agricultural landscape and the natural landscape consisting of ‘garrigue’ and ‘phrygana’. All sections of the garden have been managed in such a way as to build up the soil, while the garrigue is cut back so that the soil remains poor to encourage the plants that grow there naturally such as the wild orchids. As little material is brought in as possible, an exception being white crushed marble for the paths; walls are made from rocks from the hillside. No chemicals are used. All vegetable matter is composted or shredded. The only machines used are a strimmer and a shredder, otherwise all work is done by hand -- the hands being those of volunteer members of the MGS and students under the leadership of Sally Razelou; in addition there is usually a garden assistant resident for 10 months each year. Nothing goes to waste, young plants that are not needed in the garden are sold in the nursery.
François took us on a guided tour of the garden. The plants he specially mentioned as being, in his eyes, the ‘stars’ of the garden were: Chrysanthemum coronarium, Oxalis pes-caprae, Ebenus cretica, Sarcopoterium spinosum as well as asphodels, orchids, cyclamens, narcissi and sternbergias.
The talk illustrated by photographs, diagrams and some of François’ sketches left me with a desire to visit Sparoza. It is an example of what can be achieved in a particularly hostile environment with vision and perseverance.
Katharine Fedden
September 2009
Visit to gardens in Villeneuve-lez-Avignon
Members of Languedoc branch had eagerly anticipated the beginning of the autumn programme and were not disappointed with a full day of activities at Villeneuve-lez-Avignon. Our first visit of the day was to Fort Saint-André, commissioned in 1292 by Philippe le Bel, King of France, to affirm royal power, as opposed to Papal power over the Rhône at Avignon. Inside the Fort, the focus of our visit was the Bénédictine Abbaye Saint-André and its very significant Provençal garden. Fort Saint-André is owned by Melle Roseline Bacou who personally welcomed our party and charmed us all with a fascinating tour of her home. The detailed and vivid description of her family’s acquisition of the property and her personal involvement with the renovation of both the Abbaye and garden were superb.
After our tour of the Abbaye building we wandered through the extensive and immaculately maintained gardens, the refurbishment of which began in the 1920s. Terraces, paths and passages link a number of formal gardens, shrubberies and an olive orchard. Much emphasis is placed on Mediterranean planting and, significantly for us, there is minimal irrigation. The garden includes many fine trees, the top of the property being dominated by wonderful old Aleppo pines (Pinus halepensis), sculpted, not surprisingly given the Fort’s location, by the onslaught of the Mistral. Tall cypresses (Cupressus sempervirens) and huge box trees (Buxus sempervirens) feature throughout the garden. For our group photograph we stood on the entrance steps of the Abbaye and admired two very old and significant trees, an Arbre de Judée (Cercis siliquastrum) and a very ancient Sophora japonica. The central garden features a formal arrangement of Chinese roses which, as they were in summer dormancy at the time of our visit, will provide many of us with a good reason to return!
The afternoon began with a tour of the Chartreuse du Val-de-Bénédiction constructed by Pope Innocent VI and one of the largest Carthusian monasteries in Europe. Carthusian monasteries typically represented a balance between the mineral and the vegetable world. Again, with the benefit of an excellent and enthusiastic guide, we admired frescoes by Matteo Giovanetti, explored the three cloisters and visited one of the 40 monastic cells, each of which had its own individual garden. ‘Le jardin des simples’ recreates a typical example in which each monk was able to select his own choice of medicinal plants, vegetables and even flowers for ornamental use. Medicinal plants commonly grown in these compact spaces included mallow (Malva sylvestris), which mixed with olive oil was a deterrent against bee stings, plantain for use against snakebites and mint for the common cold. Other gardens within the monastery included ‘Le cloître du cimetière’ with generous planting of cypress, the typical Provençal symbol of immortality and the ‘Jardin du procureur’. This was originally planted in the 18th century by keen plantsman Dom Alexandre Perraud, and included such exotics as oranges and pomegranates, the fruit of the latter symbolising the unity of the church. We concluded our day in the charming garden at the Hôtel Le Prieuré. After pausing to admire the 23 metre rose arch planted in the 1940s and the formal garden laid out by Francois Dedieu, interest centred on the refreshments and shade of the pergola.
The Branch made a special welcome to eight new members drawn from the Hérault, the Gard and the Vaucluse. Thanks to Christine Savage for organising our first event of the new season.
Duncan Munford
Photos Duncan Mumford and Chantal Maurice
April 2009
Garden visits in the Lubéron
At the end of the month we visited two very different gardens in the Lubéron, each one the creation of an owner with a strong personal vision.
La Louve, in Bonnieux, was the home of Nicole de Vésian, a former fabric designer for Hermès who transformed her hillside site into a living work of art. She mixed stone and clipped evergreen shrubs to create a tapestry of greens and greys that echoed the natural flora of the surrounding landscape. The result has been much photographed and analysed for books on Provençal gardens, so we were keen to see it for ourselves and to observe the changes that the current owner, Judith Pillsbury, has made.
On the day of our visit the garden was looking beautiful and unfolds as a series of ‘rooms’. The signature flat-topped cypresses and clipped evergreens remain, but each terrace has been given an individual character and is designed so that a picture is created using foreground planting and distant views. Additional plants have been introduced and a pool created, but flower colour is limited to the purple blues of irises and lavender and white cistus and roses. Worth the journey, we all agreed, and still very much the work of art that Nicole had envisioned.
The creator of the second garden, Cécile Chancel, met us at the garden gate of Val Joanis and was keen to talk to us about her ideas. Her original concept had been of an 18th-century-style French kitchen garden, laid out on a classic grid pattern. The landscaping for three wide terraces was put in place 30 years ago and a formal structure of yew, box and hornbeam hedges established to contain the fruit, vegetable and flower gardens. Today this structure remains, including a long tunnel covered in climbing roses and some magnificent espaliered fruit trees. However, Cécile explained that she has adapted her choice of plants to include those which will flourish in tough weather conditions and withstand winter temperatures of -12˚C.She now includes garrigue plants, Rhamnus alaternus, Phillyrea angustifolia, Quercus coccifera and Pistacia lentiscus and has replaced the shrub roses with caryopteris, perovskia, achillea and a variety of grasses. We were delighted to see that this garden, which is open to the public, has been adapted to incorporate many of the ‘dry gardening’ principles of the MGS and we toasted its future with a glass of the domaine’s rosé.
A final word about our lunch stop. We had been invited to eat our picnic at the Pépinière de Vaugines, where we found a warm welcome from a passionate plantsman, Gérard Weiner. His nursery is the antithesis of the typical garden centre with its rows of brightly coloured bedding plants. Instead, it consisted of an amazing and seemingly haphazard collection of Gérard’s favourites, propagated by him from plant material collected on trips around the Mediterranean. He showed us around the garden he created, but has now sold, full of rare specimen shrubs, and explained that he was now about to start all over again on the patch of land next to the nursery where we had eaten our picnic. Definitely a place to return to.
Christine Savage.
March and April 2009
Plant Fairs in Languedoc
The Languedoc branch has made two appearances at plant fairs this spring. The first, in Montpellier at PRIMAVERA on Sunday 22 March, was organised by Chantal Guiraud; then on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 April Christine Savage organised a stand at the important ‘Journées plantes rares et jardin naturel’ at Sérignan-du-Comtat in the Vaucluse.
A ‘Mediterranean Garden Society’ banner has been produced with a logo and white lettering on a green background. We also have a map showing the areas of the world where there is a mediterranean-type climate, three well-mounted photographs of the garden at Sparoza, a garden in California and a garden in the Vaucluse, as well as a list of the branch activities for the current year. On the table were displayed the MGS leaflets, in French and English, on how to plant a dry garden as well as relevant books and some local nursery catalogues. The photograph album which Christine has started with photographs of gardens at Sparoza, in California and of local members’ gardens, some with ‘before’ and ‘after’ pictures, and with plant names listed, incited a lot of interest and questions. At Primavera, there was a marvellous slideshow put together by Chantal with three hundred photographs.
At Serignan, Christine and Dominique Vaché gave two talks on the Saturday. This was opened by an explanation in French of the aims of the Society; Dominique then described her garden and how she and Jean transformed it into a dry garden, and Christine finished by explaining that the meetings of the Languedoc branch are conducted in English and French and then giving a short talk in English. Their talks were well received and elicited lots of questions; one gentleman returned the following day to to tell us that he was so impressed that he had signed up for a two-year MGS membership on-line during the night.
A dozen members manned the stand, each doing two-hour stints. There was a lot of interest in the concept of planting a dry garden and many questions. The fair was full of tempting plants, many of the nurseries on our list had stands, and one nurseryman expressed interest in becoming a member. There were lots of conferences and talks at the stands. I was lucky to hear Michel Valantin talk about the cultural history of the cypress, the rose and the citrus, and Louisa Jones explain how to visit a garden, while Gilles Clément, with great energy, covered the world. The predicted storms held off on Saturday until five o’clock and we were able to whisk the table and panel into the gymnasium.
The general feeling was that it was a worthwhile enterprise; whether it should become an annual event will have to be discussed.
Katharine Fedden.
Promoting dry gardens at Sérignan
Photo by John Banks
March 2009
Olive Pruning Workshop
For the Languedoc Branch’s second olive pruning workshop, given by Annette and Fritz Bauer-Hahn at Buffy and Richard Moyse’s Mas du Rayoulet near St Quentin la Poterie, the weather was perfect: we worked in our shirtsleeves without mopping our brows. Fritz began with a short talk setting out the basic rules for pruning an olive tree.
They are as follows:
Create a bowl in the centre of the tree to let in air and light.
Remove all the suckers at the base and on the trunk. Remove all crossing branches.
Leave some ‘leaders’, which will produce fruit next year and which, with the weight of the olives, will start to bend out.
Olives grow on new growth so remove older growth to create light, stepping back often to look at the tree in order to create a harmonious shape.
We were then let loose on the trees but not before David Bracey had offered to sharpen our tools. I hope his little grinder will appear at other meetings. So, with sharp tools, we began to work on the trees, which had been pruned two years ago. It was very satisfying to be able to discuss with fellow participants which branches to cut and to call on Fritz and Annette for expert advice so as to understand the reasons for each major cut. By lunchtime the trees were deemed well pruned and we gathered for an ‘apero’ before enjoying the delicious dishes which the participants had brought. When we were feeling replete and satisfied sitting in the sun, Fritz called us to attention to give us a quick run-down on how to take care of olive trees.
When to prune: never in December or January as it will create a growth spurt over the winter and enfeeble the tree. When harvesting the olives in November, you may saw down large branches that you want to remove and pick the olives from the branch on the ground. March is the ideal month to prune but you can take out suckers at any time of year except December or January.
Feeding: manure or compost from December to February. If you are lucky enough to own a shredder, shred directly around the trees after pruning every second year.
Watering: three times a year. Give 150 to 200 litres at each watering at monthly intervals from July.
Both water and manure need to be applied away from the trunk at the perimeter of the branches, where, below ground, the roots can absorb them.
Olive fly (Dacus oleae): there are two methods of combatting the fly that are acceptable organically.
1. Ammonium phosphate is diluted in water at a ratio of 4 to 5%, not more. Pour the solution into plastic bottles with holes burnt into the upper part of the bottle and hang bottles on the south-east side of the tree from mid-June to the end of October. The solution attracts and kills a good percentage of the flies. If the solution dries out, simply add water.
2. Syneis is a spray and you must spray no more than 1 dl per tree, an area the size of a window, over the south-facing side of the tree never more than four times from mid-June to the end of October, as there will be four generations of the fly over the summer. One litre of Syneis in twenty litres of water is enough for about 200 trees. This method sounds more complicated, especially as exactly 1 dl. needs to be sprayed, so practise first with water, but Fritz says it gives the best results.
Olive moth (Prays oleae) has to be treated when the insect is a larva at the beginning of the flowering season. Bacillus thuringiensis is acceptable in organic gardening and should be sprayed on to the tree in mid-April and May and even a third spray is possible; repeat if it rains after spraying. Use at a dilution of 50g in 100 litres of water. This product can be used on citrus trees as well.
The day was a great success for those of us who learned from Fritz and Annette’s clear and precise explanations and also, we hope, for the health and future production of the olive trees. Thank you, Buffy and Richard, for the opportunity to spend a particularly enjoyable day on your lovely property.
Katharine Fedden
February 2009
‘Understanding Soil’ at David Bracey’s house.
About 20 members gathered at David Bracey’s house for the first meeting of 2009. This had been organised by David on the topic of ‘Understanding Soil’. David began by explaining about the structure and content of soil, referring members to ‘The Nature and Properties of Soil’ by Lyon, Beckman and Brady and a diagram from the US Dept of Agriculture. Soil contains a number of different elements, namely organic matter, quartz (sand), clay, silt (which is a form of clay) and various salts and minerals. Soil builds up over time and therefore has different proportions of the various elements depending on the locality. It is very difficult to change soil in large quantities for a whole garden although the soil in individual planting holes can be changed. To grow plants successfully, it is important to know the soil type in one’s garden and to work with it.
Soil should first be analysed mechanically and then by using a pH meter. Using the diagram as a guide, David took members through the mechanical analysis of soil. This begins by taking a small portion of soil in one’s hand, dampening it (traditionally by spitting on it) then rubbing it between one’s fingers. Different types of soil behave differently. For example clay is smooth and rolls up into small balls, while sand feels gritty. To look more closely at the structure, a handful of soil is put into a jar of water which is then shaken to dissolve it. The mixture is allowed to settle and the soil profile then examined. To help us note the differences David had provided samples from several different areas that reflected a wide geographical distribution. The pH value was then tested using an appropriate dipstick (litmus paper).
Most members had brought samples of soil from their own gardens and we then proceeded to carry out a similar analysis on our own soil. It was really interesting to see how the various samples had different proportions of the constituents although not surprisingly, given that we all live fairly locally within an area of underlying limestone, the pH readings were all reasonably alkaline to neutral. For those who want to test soil content even further, David explained that there are testing kits for identifying the levels of trace elements such as potassium, nitrogen, and phosphates in order to identify deficiencies, thus enabling these to be corrected.
Both during and after the analysis process, questions were raised and issues discussed. One major discussion focused on the issue of organic or non-organic soil improvement products. David pointed out that plants themselves do not differentiate between the two but many members still felt that organic products were better for the environment and their plants. This was a very useful and interesting meeting which gave us all something to think about and helped us improve our understanding of how best to ensure that our gardens are as productive as possible while minimising harm to the environment.
J M Bovaird.
January 2009
A talk by Olivier Filippi
The joint meeting organised by Hortus and the MGS with Olivier Filippi talking about "The Dry Garden in Summer: how to turn a constraint into an advantage" drew a large audience. Olivier was in fine form, drawing us all in with his enthusiasm and vast knowledge. A good slide show demonstrated his talk; the pictures of natural sites overwhelmed me with their beauty, we can only attempt pale imitations in our gardens.
We are all begining to be familiar with Olivier's theories for planting dry Mediterranean gardens. He exhorted us to lay out our gardens as though a well-disciplined sheep had grazed the bushes into graceful mounds. He urged us to concentrate on foliage for the summer rather than flowers and to love yellow, as opposed to green, where grass is concerned. It is structure that is important and a balance between vegetation and mineral elements that will delight us through the summer. The contrast between different kinds of foliage is also important, grey leaves being of great use for their drought resistance as well as their contrast to green leaves; flowers are almost gilding the lily. Nevertheless Olivier gave us many examples of plants that do flower through the hottest months: for instance the caper, judged difficult by some in the audience, or a series of lavenders that flower from February to September, or perovskia. This latter plant elicited questions from a garden designer in the audience, and led Olivier to reiterate two of the keys to successful planting, the necessity to plant small specimens and to disentangle the roots; he added something which is perhaps not said often, namely that sometimes plants simply do not like a place. Other plants that he mentioned I am listing as best I can remember them (it was pitch dark so I could not take notes): Teucrium marum, Gaura lindheimeri, Euphorbia rigida, Eryngium amethystinum, Epilobium canum, Ceratostigma plumbaginoides, Phlomis bourgaei, which has glorious golden foliage in summer; grasses were not forgotten and there was a marvellous selection of sages. There was a forest of hands wanting to ask questions. Someone asked what to do if one has flat clay soil and wants to create a dry garden: the answer is bring in as much rubble as possible, soil is hardly necessary, and to create a mound not even a metre high and five or six metres in diameter in order to recreate the harsh conditions of the garrigue. Questions were set to continue for a long session but there were "Galettes des rois" to taste and Olivier's book in both English and French as well as the catalogue from the Filippi nursery in Mèze to buy and have signed. The afternoon was as enjoyable and instructive for those with much knowledge as for beginners.
Katherine Fedden
Bupleurum and lavenders
Ballota and Senecio
Summer structure
Epilobium and Gaura
A very attentive audience
Photographs by Clara and Olivier Filippi
September 2008
A British photographer’s house in the Vaucluse
The Languedoc branch of the MGS was invited to visit the garden of British photographer, T.S. The site offers panoramic views of the Provençal countryside and in particular, of Mont Ventoux and the garden has been designed to harmonise with its surroundings.
White limestone has been used for terraces and paths and for dry stone walls which curve and undulate around a series of garden ‘rooms’. Anthony Paul, the designer, has use plants adapted to the dry and windy conditions, lavenders, salvias, cistus, bupleurum, rosemary, teucrium, oregano, perovskia, stipa, but planted them in blocks, lines and curves to give a contemporary feel. The colours at the time of our visit were predominately the typical olive greens, greys and silver of Mediterranean flora but with the occasional pink of Salvia greggii, Oreganum dictamnus and Delosperma cooperi to attract the eye.
The owner is a keen collector of modern sculpture and each piece has been carefully placed to enhance the views and the planting. Our tour was led by the gardener, Bruno Collado, who has been involved since the garden’s inception, ten years ago. He explained that now that the plants are established watering is kept to a minimum.
The Provençal "mas"
Hannah Bennett's sculptures
A few members of the Languedoc group
Photos by Christine Savage
June 2008
Seminar and garden visits
We met at 10.30 at Les Ecuries conference centre in Cesseras, at the home of Liz and Jacques T. Twenty five members attended a seminar followed by a discussion about gardening in the Languedoc (led in French by Gill Pound, owner of La Petite Pepinière de Caunes) – focussing on how to recognise plants which are adapted to our climate, the implications of climate change and reducing watering and maintenance requirements in our gardens. We then also had a look at Liz and Jacques’s garden at les Ecuries, which operates on dry climate gardening principles.
After our picnic lunch we travelled on to Caunes-Minervois for a guided tour of the garden at La Petite Pépinière where Gill has an extensive collection of plants from dry climate regions of the world, and is continually experimenting with new and unusual varieties of plants to see how they fare in the Languedoc climate. This gave further opportunity for questions and an interesting discussion.
May 2008
Garden visit
On May 14th 2008, the Languedoc members visited M. and Mrs Serge M-P’s garden at the Caves des Hospitaliers
Vertical Garden
We first visited first the cellars of huge yellow limestone blocks. In the courtyard, the two vertical gardens face north and south. The walls are a recent addition inspired by the creations of Patrick Blanc; this is only their second spring. The north-facing vertical garden houses 15 varieties of hosta, 5 species of fern, 5 species of x Heucherella, lamiums, hellebores, Acorus gramineus and much more. The south-facing garden has 10 species of sage, veronica, geraniums, Matricaria, Centaurea, Spiraea, carnations, Armeria maritima etc.
The Garden
This garden was started eight years ago under Aleppo pines, white and green oaks and umbrella pines. It is situated on a mound created from alluvial deposits of gravel and pebbles. Drainage is good, and the soil is poor and slightly alkaline. The pines shelter species from the garrigue; pistachios, laurel, Rhamnus alaternus, juniper. The owners have also planted rarer species, which are added to each year. In principle, the idea is to allow the species to adapt under the tree cover. No pruning is done. They like Gilles Clément’s philosophy of the "free-moving garden" and allow the vegetation to develop without significant human intervention. Occasionally horse manure and grape seed residues are added, but weeds are allowed to grow in the cherry and apricot orchards as well as in the vineyards. In 2005, they were accredited with the label "agriculture raisonnée". Other plants to be seen are a camphor tree, some thirteen varieties of palm, including Trachycarpus wagnerianus, Brahea armata and B. edulis, 17 species of bamboo, two erythrinas (tree and herbaceous), an Araucaria cunninghamii, Dodonaea viscosa 'Purpurea', a Cassia, and a collection of hedychiums, grasses, sages and waterlilies from a nursery that supplied Claude Monet.
Later in the afternoon, we drove to the nearby village of St. Christol where Mrs. Liliane M-P welcomed us to her garden.
This walled garden is located on the outskirts of the village, in a large park surrounded by a cypress hedge; the ancient park is a converted vineyard that also contains an 18th century property, itself reconstructed from the ruins of a convent. Mrs Liliane M-P has, however, significantly modified the garden to create a pathway which leads you on to discover several types of plant environments.
Entry is through an archway into a courtyard housing several shrubs. This then leads to a walled patio with climbing roses, followed by a large terrace that dominates the garden. Descending, one admires a cluster of Gleditsia triacanthos whose trunks are covered with 10 cm spikes. Close by, there is an attractive thicket of Nandina domestica and a collection of hellebores, followed by a wide avenue edged by tall cypress trees, in classical Mediterranean style.
The visit continues through a small rose garden. A pergola is covered with wisterias, climbing white roses and Virginia creeper. Next comes an area of flowering plants located beneath large trees with carpets of thyme and veronica. At the far end of the garden can be found tobacco plants, herbaceous peony, a young Osage orange (Maclura pomifera), a large clump of Cestrum parquii, an extraordinary Corylus colurna (Byzantine nut tree), several types of Viburnum and much more. Also to be noted is the well used to water the garden in this, the sunniest, spot. The pathway leads back through the pines, past fig trees, pomegranates, pear trees, Cornus and the winter-flowering Chimonanthus praecox. Liliane tends the garden on her own and it truly demonstrates its beauty throughout the year. Worthy of note is the elegant Parrotia persica which Liliane trims when the trees are young; many trees are pruned in the shape of vases. At the bottom of the park, an especially attractive bed combines the 'painters’s rose', 'Camille Pissaro', with variegated white and red petals, and a small red-flowered rose, 'Candia Meillandécor', among a sea of orange-coloured bulbinellas.
March 2008
Languedoc Branch excursion in the Garrigue
Two dozen members of the Languedoc Branch met at an ancient, abandoned chapel in the countryside close to Uzès for a guided walk in the garrigue. We started with a picnic in the shelter of the chapel (the lovely blue sky and sunshine belying a rather chilly wind), a nice touch as it gave everyone a chance to renew acquaintance after the winter break, and new members to make themselves known. Next to where we sitting, we noticed the white flowers of Diplotaxis erucoides, a pungent salad rocket, and the pinkish flowers of a mallow, Malva sylvestris.
Our guide was David Bracey, who had already been out scouting the route and was thus able to lead us to some fascinating specimens. We saw a wide variety of garrigue plants, many already in bloom. These ranged from the lowly Muscari neglectum, the common Vinca major, the fragrant Thymus vulgaris, the rare Aphyllanthes monspeliensis and the magnificent yellow and deep blue dwarf Iris lutescens to the shrubby Ruta chalepensis, the giant Euphorbia characias, and the red-berried Ruscus aculeatus. We also came across the tree-like Rhamnus alaternus, Juniperus oxycedrus and Phillyrea species. Particularly endearing was the tiny Narcissus dubius.
New to many of us was the thorny wild pear, Pyrus amygdaliformis, with its white flowers resembling almond blossom. Unfortunately, we were too early in the season to see the Cistus in flower, although we did notice one pink bud just emerging. Also spotted were the yellow, sweet-smelling Coronilla glauca, Genista scorpius, the giant orchid Barlia robertiana, (previously known as Himantoglossum robertianum), Ophrys scolopax, and an ophrys later identified as Ophrys fusca by Jocelyn van Riemsdijk. On the culinary side, in addition to thyme, wild asparagus, leek and rocket were widely apparent.
As an interesting addition to our walk, David also led us to the excavation site of a Roman farm dwelling, as well as taking us along the course of a Roman road, reminding us of the enormous changes the countryside has undergone since Roman times.
Iris lutescens
Aphyllanthes monspeliensis
Narcissus dubius
Juniperus oxycedrus
Euphorbia characias
Coronilla valentina subsp. glauca growing wild in the garrigue
Genista scorpius growing wild in the garrigue
September 2007
Branch visit to the garden of Pierre Bergé in St.Rémy de Provence
On 21st September 2007 the branch repeated a visit made at last year’s AGM to the garden of Pierre Bergé in St.Rémy de Provence. As most members of the branch were unable to take part last year, Louisa Jones agreed to arrange a visit for us this autumn. The garden, designed by one of Provence’s best known garden designers, Michel Semini, was much enjoyed by us all. Louisa Jones has recently written a book on the designer, published by Kubik and available in both French and English (the latter only on internet).
On the morning of 4th October we held our annual branch meeting at the home of Chantal and André Guiraud, in the centre of Montpellier. In the afternoon we visited Chantal’s new garden – the previous time we visited it was not much more than a building site - and exchanged plants and seeds.
Branch Report
From The Mediterranean Garden No. 42, October 2005
Roses for the Midi
This spring saw an exuberant display of roses in southern France, after an indifferent performance by many varieties in 2004 - a result of the extremely hot, dry summer of 2003. Banksian roses (Rosa banksiae) everywhere started the display in April; my white Banksian rose, in a deep sulk for some years, flowered as never before. The display here continued with Hybrid Musks - R. 'Cornelia' and R. 'Felicia' flowered exceptionally well - and was followed by Hybrid Chinas such as R. 'Perle d'Or', R. 'Little White Pet' and R. 'The Fairy'. An unknown white rambler by our river, which has survived flood, tempest, drought and over-enthusiastic pruning, flung its arms over a rather battered pyrancantha hedge to transform it, for a brief fortnight, into a superb spectacle. How our roses will survive an exceptionally dry and windy summer after a winter of rainfall often 75% lower than average, with water restrictions amounting to a complete ban in many areas, remains to be seen. Their toughness and resilience will surprise us, no doubt.
To celebrate this festival of roses, in early June our branch visited one of the most celebrated rose gardens in southern France. The Roseraie de Berty, no ordinary French rose garden, with highly pruned specimens in serried ranks, is hidden in a deep Cévenol valley in the Ardèche department. At the end of a long, rough, winding and rather intimidating mountain lane, the road unexpectedly drops down into a paradise of roses - climbing trees, draping the walls of the old farmhouse, the Mas de Berty, forming huge bushes of arching stems covered with glorious blooms. Eléonore Cruse arrived at Berty in the early 1970s, one of the generation of soixante-huitards who sought the 'good life' in the remoter parts of southern France after the turmoil of Parisian student life in the late sixties. At first she raised sheep and goats, weaving their wool in peasant style, then she grew buckwheat and vegetables. The world of roses was revealed to her, so she told us, when she read a seminal book published in the 1980s, Les Roses Anciennes by Charlotte Testut. Her collection of old roses (and some modern ones) has grown until there are several hundred varieties. They grow naturally, pruned only to keep a good shape and to control the more exuberant performers. The soil is acid, unlike most soils in our region, but her roses adapt well. They only receive fertilizer when planted but companion plants, like the aromatic sages, thymes and rosemaries from the garrigue, keep the roses pest-free. Bordeaux mixture and sulphur are used for fungal diseases. The sulphur she spreads by hand in spring and recommends a little rubbed in the hair for a glossy effect! We were impressed to see how many roses grew well in shade - I particularly remember the R. multiflora hybrid 'Violette', radiant on its pergola, its deep violet petals enhanced by golden stamens. Another great beauty, R. brunonii 'La Mortola', too delicate for most of our gardens, flowered to perfection on a sheltered terrace. There is a nursery which sells many of the garden's roses and a well-illustrated catalogue, as well as Eléonore Cruse's own books.
By serendipity, this year our branch chose as the subject for its annual survey 'Roses for the Midi'. Members were asked to make a list of the roses in their gardens which performed most satisfactorily, taking into account various factors such as length of flowering, freedom from disease, watering requirements and hardiness. Eleven members replied and the list of recommended roses, painstakingly compiled by David Bracey, appears on page 45 of The Mediterranean Garden No. 42. Many thanks to all members who contributed, especially to David for all his hard work. We hope you will find the list a useful guide to roses in mediterranean regions.
Jocelyn van Riemsdijk
Christine Savage
Branch Head, Languedoc Branch, France
 In October 2009, after six years as Branch Head, Jocelyn van Riemsdijk decided to pass on the leadership to a new Branch Head and the Administrative Committee of the MGS was happy to appoint Christine Savage to take over from her.
Christine writes:
"After a 30-year career with a major UK retailer I was lucky to be able to take early retirement. This has given me the opportunity to spend the major part of the year at our house in the Vaucluse where I enjoy walking in the hills and maintaining a large and challenging garden using mediterranean plants and as little water as possible."
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