Life in a Brittany Garden

As the month reaches its end I find lots of positives. Japanese Maples/Erables du Japan/Acer palmatum japonicum… I wish I could say these are all growing in my garden, but I can’t! Most of the ones in my garden that I planted four years ago succumbed to some deadly lurgy, although I’ve still got three…

A distinct lack of settled weather and sunshine, but that means I’m treasuring the short bursts of warmth and soaking up the rays when they manage to get through the clouds and damp. A pleasing array of butterflies emerge every time the sun shines: Red Admiral and Comma. Both typical, late season, butterflies. But in…

I know all seasons are wonderful and all weather is just weather…However, I have to say that I am not a fan of anything much after September (October?) I don’t like the loss of light. I don’t like the damp. I don’t like the feeling of everything drawing back into itself and starting to dig…

And September does what it nearly always seems to do – the schools go back, the holidaymakers go home and September says “Ha! Here’s another burst of summer. Just for you”. I’ve said thank you and made the most of it. A few (slightly clammy, it must be said) nights in the tent in the…

Or more to the point, why no post? Here are some of the best bits before I’m posting again asking the same question about September: The North Coast between Plouescat and Goulven. Lots of dunes and fine, shimmering white sand. Not that much visited previously. But will become a new favourite I think. The first…

A few photos of round and about… The fields and meadows have been beautiful this year; such a variety of grasses and flowers, and such lushness. And all on my doorstep. ‘My’ field, obviously no such thing, but it’s the field my garden was carved out of, and flanks it on one side. The first…

I’ve been holding off on this butterfly post waiting, waiting and some more waiting for the first appearance of the Purple Emperor (Apatura iris). New camera with super zoom at the ready. But, sadly the colony has disappeared this year … or despite all my hours spent scouring the oak trees with my binoculars I…

The first asparagus. Not the chunkiest, but the supply was good. There have been vole depredations, so some crowns have been badly, or totally, eaten. But there was still a decent crop, and enough crowns in good enough condition to grow on for next year. Didn’t grow these myself. Field beans, féverolles, thieved perhaps would…

Since I last wrote May turned into one of the sunniest, hottest and driest since records began. Frost seems a distant memory. And here I am at the end of June wondering how to condense all of the wonder, beauty and opulence of the garden into a few sentences and a handful of photos… almost…

At the moment parts of the garden are covered in debris netting, parts of the garden are covered in polythene, some boxes of plants have been taken into the barn. Some never even made it out into the fresh air today. The Icy Saints are doing their thing… so you just have to go with…