Gardening Projects
Because I live so close to the sea and the Gulf Stream passes nearby, the temperatures are rarely low here. For some reason though, it's been unusually cold for the last two weeks, around 0°C to 4°C (32 to 39°F), even when it was sunny.
Il gèle rarement en Bretagne quand on vit aussi près de la mer que moi. Mais, là, cela fait une semaine que l'on surfe avec le zéro degré et cela a mis à mal mon week-end que j'avais prévu de consacrer au jardinage.
That ruined all my plans of a weekend of gardening... I was so impatient to show you the progress in the garden. Because, yes, renovating the house only would be just too easy. I'm also remodeling the garden.
Parce que ne rénover que la maison, ce serait trop facile, je redessine aussi le jardin.
The Little White House is located in an old hamlet of stone houses and as often in those hamlets nothing is simple or square. I'm wondering if the second part of the garden used to belong to the other house and was given to mine later, maybe as a wedding present or something...
Ok, it's actually straighter than what I managed to draw... Does anyone know how to draw a straight line on Picasa?
Le jardin a une forme de L bizarre, ce qui me fait penser qu'une partie a été rajoutée plus tard ou a été acquise suite à un héritage ou une dot de mariage.
As you can see the garden is shaped like a weird L with the house at the "top" of it. The square right behind the house, known as the back garden or first garden, was rather pretty when I bought the house and even if I have plans for it, right now, I'm only trying to keep it as is. Mistakes are done every now and then as I'm a beginner gardener. But I'm learning.
La partie du jardin juste derrière la maison était vraiment très jolie quand j'ai acheté et je ne fais que l'entretenir de mon mieux avec des couacs parfois, car je débute.
Mais la deuxième partie du "L" était une autre histoire. Elle contenait les clapiers à lapins, elle servait de poulailler et de dépotoir!
Well, believe it or not, I could see a bench here, I could imagine myself reading a good book there and having tea with friends. It just needed a little TLC and lots of sore muscles.
Moi, j'y voyais un banc, un coin sympa pour lire ou boire le thé avec des amis... Comment ça, vous n'imaginez pas bien le truc?
Among the other projects I have for the garden I'd like to create a vegetable garden in lieu of the very tired hedge that is in that second garden.
Entre autres projets pour ce jardin, je vois aussi un coin potager là où il y a une haie fatiguée.
Oh, and I so can see a garden shed there:
Et je rêve aussi d'un abri de jardin à la place de la cabane de planches actuelle dont le toit menace de s'écrouler et dont le plancher a été percé par une taupe... Oui, oui, je vous assure.
Granted, there is already something that looks like a shed, but it's not. It's so old that the roof could fall off any minute and a mole actually made a hole in the floor! I need to overcome my fear of entering said shed to take a picture of that or you won't believe me. Needless to say I can't store anything in here, so it's basically a waste of space until I make something with it...
Some of these projects are in progress. Stay tuned to see how green (or how dirty) my fingers are!
Only a few more days before spring and true gardening can begin. What's the first thing you'll do in your garden, weather permitting?
Et vous, quel sera votre premier projet jardinage dès que le temps le permettra?
See you soon,
I'm joining the following parties:
Hello Magali, I think you have a wonderful opportunity designing and making your own garden. It is very interesting how the garden is laid out in a 'L' shape. I do see your vision of a shady tree to sit under. Have a wonderful time enjoying this process. It takes a while to get to 'know' your garden and I am looking forward to seeing your plans.
ReplyDeleteMy garden is shaped the same as yours. We added a vegetable garden in the side area and I'd like to add a shed out there. I'm thinking of turning the back portion into an herb and flower garden. I'm looking forward to seeing what you do.
ReplyDeleteOui, on peut dire qu'il a vraiment changé ton jardin, surtout le coin verger-potager... bientôt tu cueilleras tes pommes, tes haricots verts et tes fraises... enfin si la température accepte de remonter au dessus de 2°... Vivement le printemps !
ReplyDeleteMary
Wow Magali, this is already beautiful. It seems to me that just as a house can have 'good bones' so can a garden... well, apparently it does given what I see in your images. That second shot in which we see the hardscape and the softscape is fabulous. I am really curious as to your plans because there is so much potential Magali. Lucky you, this will be a fun project.
ReplyDeleteHow exciting to be at the starting point with a new garden! Your plans sound marvelous for the space. I encourage you to try growing some vegetables this year. Even a small sunny spot can yield some wonderful food for you to enjoy this summer! This is the first year we have all the hardscape (finally!) done in the garden--it took us 11 years. Now I want to, over time, refresh several of the beds and work on the actual design of the plants together. I have been sick and the weather has been surprisingly nice, so it's been frustrating sitting inside unable to do anything outside. However, I need to prune the fruit trees, grapes and raspberries and blackberries--that is my first project I need to get done. Then I need to get busy and get some seeds started indoors so they will be ready to plant out later in the season. I am curious--in one photo, is that an outdoor pizza or bread oven? I wasn't quite sure what it was, but it looked very interesting and beautiful! I'm looking forward to seeing how you and your garden progress together!
ReplyDeleteI hope you'll be feeling better soon. It's so frustrating to be sick when the sun is shining! It doesn't seem fair, does it?
DeleteI only started working on the garden two years ago, so there's still a lot of work to do. I already added a few fruit bushes and they need pruning as well,but I think it's too cold lately.
So my only gardening activity has been to plant seeds indoors, hoping I could plant them lately in the vegetable garden. I don't know if my first seeds ever will work though. Maybe I'll buy a plant from the nursery later!
And yes, there's an oven in the middle garden. It's a tad small for bread or pizza, but I was surprised how yummy sausages cooked there in the summer are. I'd like it to be not in the middle of the garden, but it stays there for now!
Magali
That looks so green and pretty to me!!! It will be even more magnificent!
ReplyDeleteI have a huge lot in the back and on the side, and it looks like a disaster area. I guess it's an L because there is no side yard, just a fence between mine and the neighbor on one side. Never thought of it that way! I see us getting to it this year, but so far I've been too embarrassed to take photos. It is all brown except for some weedy bushes that they must of had on special and the three TALL Palm trees. SO only we see is the bark unless we look up. Oh and I have one lemon tree, but unfortunately it is planted right next to the house.
I'm hoping I can eventually have a food garden too, but it is really tricky around here, and I will have to learn all new things. I only know how to make a desert, flowering garden, so that should be easier, because I've done that before. I have only grown food with my Grandfather in California. Where I use to live one could not grow produce, so I did not learn.
Take pictures of your garden and the contrast between the before and the after will be amazing! I didn't learn how to garden at all while young as we lived in a flat. So I'm learning now, mistake after mistake! Having a lemon tree in a garden seems so exotic to me!
Deleteyour garden looks beautiful already! look forward to seeing it in your spring.
ReplyDeletex
Please take care of yourself first before all those hard work.
ReplyDeleteIndeed there is a lot of work to do but at the end when you see the result, it's all worth it.
All the best to you.
Hi Magali!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great space you have, I can see the great potential in it just as you can but don't envy the 'elbow grease' that will be involved in getting there! I do envy the usually lovely warm weather you get though! No such luck in Ireland, it's quite chilly here at present about the same temps if not lower. Monday morning was -2 as I left for work! On the upside we have had some lovely sunshine during the day. The biggest problem with gardening in Ireland is the rain! The last two summers have been abysmal! Anyway, it doesn't stop me from trying! Am taking some time off next week to Spring clean the garden, have some re-arranging to do & an arch to build, will keep you posted! Are you feeling any better?
Looking forward to following your progress in the garden...
je trouve pour ma part que cette cabane bohème et déglinguée a son charme... La minuinette
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my blog the other day and I am returning the visit ( and bookmarking this site as it will be fun to watch your garden progress ) I am in western pennsylvania...spring won't be here for quite awhile. Alot of melted snow and rain on top of that and all that I am growing here is mud! :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea! Please share it on a terrific linky – Design Décor Tuesday. www.designdecortuesday.blogspot.com. See you there! ☺
ReplyDeleteI can't wait for spring here in Pennsylvania, U.S.A. Enjoyed your gardens! Thank you for sharing at Rustic Restorations Weekend!
ReplyDeleteYour garden is very beautiful already. Our yard is always a work in progress. My husband is quite handy at keeping our lawn nice and green. I, on the other hand, have a lot to learn. We have a small garden plot and I try to grow things in containers on our deck. Some things do well and others... not so much. Since we still have the danger of frost I haven't done much outside in our garden area except clean it up a bit. I also added a few empty wine bottles as a divider in the vegetable/herb garden. I think it will be pretty this spring and summer.
ReplyDeleteso fun for you! I know it feels overwhelming - but in time it will be GORGEOUS! so be patient! thanks so much for coming over and linking up to the first garden party of 2013 over here at Fishtail Cottage! hope you have an amazing week and looking forward to seeing what you'll share this week! xoxo, tracie
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