French Garden CultureBy Sarah Law (Isabelle)

December 3rd 2009La Glacerie

Chateau de Vendeuvre

Photo: Musee & Jardins Du Chateau De Vendeuvre

Photo: French-Gardens (Photo Benh Lieu Song and subject to copyright)

Photo: about.com ©2007 Mr. Gourmand. Some rights reserved under the Creative Commons License.Photo: jardinez.com

•Founded in 1626, planted in 1635

•Opened to the public in 1640

• One of the most famous botanical gardens located along the River Siene in Paris

Historical Gardens - Jardin Des Plantes

Historical Gardens - Jardin Des Plantes

• Planted as a medicinal garden by Guy de la Brosse (Louis XIII’s physician)

• Originally known as Jardin deu Roi or Garden of the King

Photo: Wikipedia

Guy de la Brosse

Photo: Wikipedia

King Louis XIII

• It is now one of seven departments of the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle

Historical Gardens - Jardin Des Tuileries

Photo: Kieth Pancione Photo: Kieth Pancione

Photo: Kieth PancionePhoto: Kieth Pancione

• Building began 1564, using architect Philibert de l'Orme.

• Catherine de Medici planned this palace after the death of her husband Henry II Of France.

Historical Gardens - Jardin Des Tuileries

Photo: Kieth Pancione

Photo: Kieth Pancione

Photo: Kieth Pancione

Photo: Kieth Pancione

Photo: Kieth Pancione

•Louis XIV’s gardener André Le Notre laid out parterres (formal garden construction) for the Tuileries in 1664

Historical Gardens – Gardens of Versailles

Photo: TrekEarth Copyright: Alfredo Wang

•Located on Paradise Island •Royalty Gardens in the 17th Century were formal and symmetrical in design.• This formal structured style of gardening is known as jardin a la francaise. • Three important aspects of french formal gardening were aviaries, menageries and hydraulics (fountains).

Historical Gardens – Gardens of Versailles

• In the Garden of Versailles all the status of Apollo (The Sun God) represent Louis XIV who was known as the Sun King.

•The Fountain of Apollo (right) created by Jean-Baptiste Tubi

Versailles Gardens Sculpture and Mythology 1985The Fountain of Apollo Photo: Wikipedia

• A country house (maison de campagne) Located in lower Normandy

• Originally built between 1750 – 1752 for Alexandre Le Forestier, ‘seigneur ’ (lord) of Vendeuvre

• Architect: Jacques-François Blondel

• Contains the first miniature furniture collection in the world

Photo: Musee & Jardins Du Chateau De Vendeuvre

Historical Gardens - Chateau De Vendeuvre

Photo: Visit Normandy

Musee & Jardins Du Chateau De Vendeuvre

Alexandre Le Forestier

Photo: Musee & Jardins Du Chateau De Vendeuvre

Photo: Musee & Jardins Du Chateau De Vendeuvre

• Gardens created by the present Count of Vendeuvre• Restored to the original plans from 1813• Symmetrically designed to create a sense of balance to the eye

Historical Gardens - Chateau De Vendeuvre

NOTRE-DAME Square 2008

Photo: Kieth Pancione

Photo: Kieth Pancione

Photo: Kieth Pancione

Historical Gardens – Arboretum de balaine• The oldest ‘private’ botanical garden, started in 1804 as an English garden• Located in Villeneuve-Sur Allier• Classified a historical monument in 1993

Photo: Arboretum Balaine

Historical Gardens – Arboretum de balaine• The park remains in the same family since 1804 (currently 7th generation).

Photo: Arboretum Balaine

Photo: Arboretum Balaine

Historical Gardens – Garden at Giverny• Created by Claude Monet in

1883

• His own personal garden located in Giverny, France

• His style was not the traditional ‘garden a la française’ style. It was not structured or formal

• He grouped things by color and let his garden take on a life of it’s own.

Photo: Giverny France

Photo: Giverny France

Historical Gardens – Garden at Giverny

Photo: Giverny France

Photo: Giverny France

Photo: Giverny France

• Claude Monet lived in Giverny for 43 years

Avenue de la Grande 2008 Photo: Kieth Pancione

Modern Times – Facts• Farming is extremely important in France

•France is the 2nd largest agricultural producer in the world 2nd to the United States

• They are the only country in Europe to be completely self-sufficient in basic food production

• A major crop grown is grapes

• Agricultural exports to the United States amounted to $2.3 billion in 2008, half of it being wine and spirits

• The most famous wine producing regions are Alsace, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, Loire and Rhone

•The most productive farms are located in Northern France where they produce a lot of grain

• A main crop of Western France is apples

• Central to Southern France produces corn, fruit, vegetables and wine.

Modern Times – Facts

Modern Times – Techniques• Due to France being a small country, many backyard gardens are small; they’ve

had to learn to do a lot with a small plot of land. They use a technique called French Intensive gardening

• Grid like gardens• Plants are very close together• Very rich, loose soil is used so plants don’t need to spread far to get nutrients

Photo: Sarah Law

Modern Times – Techniques

Photo: Sarah Law

How to plant a garden using French Intensive Gardening1. Layout the size/shape of your garden (The diagram garden is 4x8)2.Dig square 1 about a foot and a half deep, placing the dirt in square D3.Fill square 1 with about 1-4 inches of manure, Turn the manure into the subsoil4.Do the same process on square 2 and place the top soil from square 2 onto square 15.Continue and when on the last square, top it with the soil from square DIn doing this process you will find that the beds have become raised and many people tend to build walls around the bed creating a raised bed.

Photo: Choosing Natural Health

Modern Times – Techniques• Many gardeners use cloches

(french for bell) to extend their gardening season

• They protect against cold, harmful insects like aphids and windy conditions

•Many cloches use to have a glass ball on top, but they found that it was acting as a magnifying glass and burning their plants

•It’s not determined if the idea of cloches came from Italy, Britain or France.

Photo: Copyright 2006 The Kitchen Garden Company

Fini

Photo: Kieth Pancione

bois de vincennes

• Vacances Vertes les Belles (Below) is an organic teaching garden located in Limousin, France. You can spend time their strolling miles of farmland, learning how to grow organic vegetables and eating healthy organic food throughout your stay.

Photos: Vacances Vertes les Belles

RéférencesWebsites (Dated visited 11/29/09):• “Le Jardin des Plantes“ French Gardens <http://www.french-gardens.com/jardindeplantes.php>

• “Jardin des Plantes“ Encyclopedia Britannica Online. 2009. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/301392/Jardin-des-Plantes#>

• “Jardin des Plantes“ jardinez.com <http://www.jardinez.com/Parcs-et-jardins-Jardin-des-Plantes_Paris_Paris_ile-de-France-Paris-France_fr_1131.html>

• “A Visual Guide to Paris' Best Parks and Gardens“ about.com. 2007. <http://goparis.about.com/od/sightsattractions/ss/parks_gallery_5.htm>

• “The Jardin des Plantes” Le Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle.<http://www.mnhn.fr/museum/foffice/transverse/transverse/accueil.xsp>

• “Jardin des Plantes” Wikipedia <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jardin_des_Plantes>

• “Guy de La Brose” Wikipedia <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:La_Brosse_Guy_de_1546-1640.jpg>

• “Tuileries Palace“ Wikipedia <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuileries_Palace>

• Alfredo Wang “Garden in Versailles” TrekEarth. 2007-10-13 7:13 <http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Europe/France/North/Ile-de-France/Versailles/photo753814.htm>

• France in the Age of Les Miserables. Roberto Schwartz 2001. Mount Holyoke College students of History 255 <http://www.mtholyoke.edu/courses/rschwart/hist255-s01/pleasure/17thcentury_gardens.html>

• “The Fountain Show” Versailles Palace <http://www.versailles-visit.com/versailles-fountains-show.html>

• “Louis XIV of France” Wikipedia <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Louis-xiv-lebrunl.jpg>

• Musee & Jardins Du Chateau De Vendeuvre <http://www.vendeuvre.com/>

• “Château de Vendeuvre“ Wikipedia <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teau_de_Vendeuvre>

• “Normandy – Loire Gardens to Visit #5 – Château de Vendeuvre” June 15, 2009 by ohcassis Visit Normandy <http://visitnormandy.wordpress.com/>

More Websites (Dated visited 11/29/09):

• Arboretum Balaine <http://www.arboretum-balaine.com/>

• Giverny France <http://giverny-france.com/>

• “Giverny Area Gardens” Claude Monet's garden at Giverny <http://giverny.org/gardens/>

• “Background Note: France” US Department of State. BUREAU OF EUROPEAN AND EURASIAN AFFAIRS2009 <http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3842.htm>

• “France – Agriculture” Encyclopedia of the Nations <http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Europe/France-AGRICULTURE.html>

• “French Wine” Wikipedia <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_wine>

•“France Map” Maps of World <http://www.mapsofworld.com/france/>

•“With French Intensive Gardening, grow more food with less space!” Choosing Natural Health <http://www.choosing-natural-health.com/french-intensive-gardening.html>

•“Winter Gardening” The Kitchen Garden Company. 2006 <http://kitchengardenfoods.com/category/gardening/page/2/>

•Vacances Vertes les Belles <http://www.vacvertes.com/index.html>

Books:Versailles Gardens Sculpture and Mythology By Jacques Girard 1985 The Fountain of Apollo Pg 197

Persons:Kieth Pancione – Photos and locationsSarah Law – 2 Photos

Références