June 30, 2011

Groovy Sericourt Gardens in France

Today let me invite you to groovy Sericourt Gardens in France I had the chance to visit last month. However Sericourt Gardens is known for its topiary, I have to point that I haven't found anywhere in the web any information about symbolism each part of the garden is revealing. When I decided to visit this garden I was not sure what to expect. Sometimes no expectation is better. 

There is beautiful gate and shadowed path leading to the entrance and the reception.

As you can see the gate was still closed at our arrival.

If you decide to visit the garden, don't forget to take printed info board form the reception and follow the guidelines in which order to see all parts of the garden.


Red leafed beech is the entrance to the inside of part called "cathedral". I can not tell you everything, because there will be no fun if you decide to visit the garden.

Looks like ordinary hole somebody forgot  to cover? It's not. Remember WW2?  The memory of that happened in Normandie is still very alive. Sericourt Gardens design is about war and peace/life. Look for the symbolism during visit. If you think that war subject can make garden sad or dull - not even close to that. Life rulez! Hatts off! 










The lounge.

In topiary garden there is over 400 box and yews hand clipped. I wonder how often in a year?
 
Maybe you don't see it here, but what do you say if I tell you, that topiary garden is an understory of fruit trees? I really love this idea. Food for the body within the hand's reach in the season and beneath the feast for eyes and soul... love it!


I had unique chance to meet the creator and the designer of the garden Mr Yves Gosse de Gorre. It was real pleasure to learn directly from creator what's behind every section of the garden. Thank you!
So, if you are somewhere close to Lille visit this garden. It takes 1,5 hours. More information and directions how to get there you will find on the Sericourt Gardens website.
Happy garden touring, beautiful people!

June 18, 2011

Insect hotels for 2,000 insects living next to you

Do you know that an average garden could hold over 2,000 different species of insect?
This makes clear now, that home gardens are not only ours.Majority of the insects living next to us are beneficial - many of them help us control the pests.  

So, she was thinking, that providing the right habitats called insect hotels we can greatly increase the number of beneficial insects in our garden.

She was enchanted by insect hotel she spotted at Chelsea last week in the B&Q show garden, awarded with gold medal.  As far as the information says, this was the tallest construction at Chelsea ever.
Keep an eye on this. This wonderful 40 insect hotels were made by Challock Youth Club and Time Youth Club in Ashford Kent/UK.  





June 5, 2011

Wanted! Two arms and two legs more!



Recently I am a little too busy to spend enough time in the garden, which in this season is not really something I’d love to say. For mysterious reasons grass and weeds grow faster than anything else.
On the top of that I’ve been away from my garden for more than a week - travelling recently. The difference I saw in my garden ‘before and after’ in only a week, is tremendous. In our climate zone everything seems to be so fast during spring, especially when it’s warm and humid like we have it this year.   
I came back last Monday, little sad after taking long goodbye with a large group of about 50 traveling companions.
I entered the garden and had no idea at exactly which point to start. Whether to plant veggie seedlings, get rid of the early spring cleaning remains, which I couldn’t remove before my trip, remove grown weeds or start lawn mowing. I decided to start with veggies then weeding. Sorry lawn, as not my favorite piece of the garden, you have to take care of yourself for some time.    
I wish I could have few little helpers in the garden or at least two arms and two legs more...  maybe this could make me completing faster my home gardening jobs…
At the end I deserve also some rest, so me and my garden have to compromise. As compromise is a concept of finding agreement through communication, through a mutual acceptance of terms—often involving variations from an original goal or desire, I need to communicate… with my garden or with Mother Nature, what do you think? 
Or maybe it’s a compromise between myself and myself?  

PS. Did you notice, each tool on the photo is different.
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