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A Garden in Provence
Mardel Fraivillig
I discovered this quintessential Provencal garden at a winery called Château Val Joanis located south of the Luberon Regional Natural Park in Provence.
The garden was designed in 1978 modeled after a seventeenth century garden. It is comprised of three terraces sheltered from the mistral winds. Italian Cypress, Lavender and clipped Boxwood Borders invite you to wonder onto the next terrace.
The vegetable garden is modeled on a classical ancient potager, ensuring self-sufficiency in vegetables and fruits. It co-exists harmoniously with a large collection of perennials, roses and other Mediterranean species.
I love the precision and symmetry of these gardens. Boxwoods, Italian Cypress and Conical Yews keep a consistent theme. Lavender, Roses, Vitex and other perennials give the garden texture and flowers throughout the year.
Originally this was a site of a Roman Villa, now a winery and pool around a square courtyard. What a wonderful venue for a wedding!
The Olive Grove is a traditional Mediterranean staple, when coupled with conical shrubs we are reminded that we are in Provence!
Olive Grove
Since 2005, the gardens have been ranked as “Outstanding Gardens” by the French Ministry of Culture and were awarded “Garden of the Year” in 2008 by the French Association of Horticulture and Garden journalists.
I cannot wait to visit this garden and the Provence region again this summer. I find inspiration and inner peace amongst the lavender filled air and the Mediterranean breeze.
Ciao Mardel
Alas! I think I felt a cool breeze this morning. Is Fall finally here? We are so lucky in Houston, as our Fall and Winter months are usually very mild. This is actually a great time of year to enjoy the garden with our family and friends. Get your garden gloves on and join me – let’s plant our Fall-Winter color.
The last three days had freezing temperatures. As you walk around the garden some plants may start to show you signs of frost damage. You will most likely see dark areas on the leaves, wilting or a burnt appearance. The following are some things you can do to help protect these damaged plants.
I am so excited that September is finally here and the end of the hot humid and long summer is in sight. I know you are also excited and ready for Fall flowers! However, we must wait a few more weeks until the temperature cools down some, at least at night. In the meantime, here is a list of things you should be doing to get ready for the beautiful fall flowers and gardens!
Finding plants that preform well in the hot and humid Houston area is tough, finding ones that stay beautiful all year is harder. Over the years, we have found several plants that are staples to most of our landscape design. Below are the ones that made it to the top ten!
If you are like me, and still have Christmas shopping to do here are 10 wonderful gift ideas for the garden lover!
It has been an exciting 8 months here at Bay Area Design & Landscape. We are thrilled to announce that our Bay Area Family is growing– as our beautiful and talented Kimberly is expecting a baby this December! Nothing brings more joy and warmth to our hearts than the forthcoming birth of a baby!! Amidst our bustling office schedule, we have been secretly happily awaiting the arrival of Dean Chapman, and Amanda and I have been fighting to hold Kim’s belly and feel Dean kick around — poor Kim, she is petered daily with unwanted attention!
Some loves are everlasting– for me this love has always been the French Anduze and Biot planters! As a little girl, I remember playing in my grandmother’s courtyard and admiring a pair of beautiful Anduze Urns and several large Biot jars. I dreamed of one day having a courtyard just like this. A large fountain in the center, with beautiful pots filled with citrus and flowers decorating the space. Little did I know that my admiration for these pots would remain, as they are still my favorite urns!
It has been a couple of weeks now since Horrible hurricane Harvey ravaged our area with its historical rains. We at Bay Area Design, along with many of our friends, neighbors, clients and fellow Houstonians have just now finished cleaning up the debris inside our homes, and ready to start focusing on our gardens. Below are a few tips to help you out.
For the third year in a row one of our designs has been chosen to receive an award from an outdoor living magazine Hearth and Home. This year the winning design was for a Rustic Retreat with a French Provencal twist.
So many of us spend countless hours focusing on the interior of our homes, yet sadly dis-regard the front entrance! This is the first impression any visitor or potential buyer is going to get of your home. Most of my realtor friends tell me that buyers usually make up their mind about a house immediately as they see it and approach the front door!!! They say most buyers can already imagine themselves living there if the front yard makes a good impression and gives them that “good-feeling”. How important is this if you are trying to sell your home! Likewise, for our guests, the front entrance is like a window into your personality and sense of style!
Alas! I think I felt a cool breeze this morning. Is Fall finally here? We are so lucky in Houston, as our Fall and Winter months are usually very mild. This is actually a great time of year to enjoy the garden with our family and friends. Get your garden gloves on and join me – let’s plant our Fall-Winter color.
The last three days had freezing temperatures. As you walk around the garden some plants may start to show you signs of frost damage. You will most likely see dark areas on the leaves, wilting or a burnt appearance. The following are some things you can do to help protect these damaged plants.
I am so excited that September is finally here and the end of the hot humid and long summer is in sight. I know you are also excited and ready for Fall flowers! However, we must wait a few more weeks until the temperature cools down some, at least at night. In the meantime, here is a list of things you should be doing to get ready for the beautiful fall flowers and gardens!
Finding plants that preform well in the hot and humid Houston area is tough, finding ones that stay beautiful all year is harder. Over the years, we have found several plants that are staples to most of our landscape design. Below are the ones that made it to the top ten!
If you are like me, and still have Christmas shopping to do here are 10 wonderful gift ideas for the garden lover!
It has been an exciting 8 months here at Bay Area Design & Landscape. We are thrilled to announce that our Bay Area Family is growing– as our beautiful and talented Kimberly is expecting a baby this December! Nothing brings more joy and warmth to our hearts than the forthcoming birth of a baby!! Amidst our bustling office schedule, we have been secretly happily awaiting the arrival of Dean Chapman, and Amanda and I have been fighting to hold Kim’s belly and feel Dean kick around — poor Kim, she is petered daily with unwanted attention!
Some loves are everlasting– for me this love has always been the French Anduze and Biot planters! As a little girl, I remember playing in my grandmother’s courtyard and admiring a pair of beautiful Anduze Urns and several large Biot jars. I dreamed of one day having a courtyard just like this. A large fountain in the center, with beautiful pots filled with citrus and flowers decorating the space. Little did I know that my admiration for these pots would remain, as they are still my favorite urns!
It has been a couple of weeks now since Horrible hurricane Harvey ravaged our area with its historical rains. We at Bay Area Design, along with many of our friends, neighbors, clients and fellow Houstonians have just now finished cleaning up the debris inside our homes, and ready to start focusing on our gardens. Below are a few tips to help you out.
For the third year in a row one of our designs has been chosen to receive an award from an outdoor living magazine Hearth and Home. This year the winning design was for a Rustic Retreat with a French Provencal twist.
So many of us spend countless hours focusing on the interior of our homes, yet sadly dis-regard the front entrance! This is the first impression any visitor or potential buyer is going to get of your home. Most of my realtor friends tell me that buyers usually make up their mind about a house immediately as they see it and approach the front door!!! They say most buyers can already imagine themselves living there if the front yard makes a good impression and gives them that “good-feeling”. How important is this if you are trying to sell your home! Likewise, for our guests, the front entrance is like a window into your personality and sense of style!
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