Easter Monday 2021, the 11th anniversary of our taking possession of Les Terrasses, and the start of the third French Covid lockdown. As on that previous Easter, the weather, after a week of hot and sunny days, has turned cold again, and frost is threatened. Although the vaccination programme is finally getting going here, Covid rates remain high, and our return to the UK remains uncertain.

The warm weather has brought the garden on, and the trees across the valley are turning greener day by day. There are leaf buds now on the oak and the acacias, the Wisteria, hard pruned last year, is in full flower,

as is the Judas tree

and the beautiful white flowering shrub in the Gravel garden, the name of which I do not know.

Several of the shrubs by the gate are flowering as well

including the Mahonia which Dominique gave us. I admit to being less than fond of mahonia, disliking the somewhat scrappy foliage, but here it is far enough from the house not to bother me too much.

This year, at least, I have succeeded with the Pagoda erythroniums which I planted in the new bed opposite Philippe’s steps.

as with the other plants here, primulas, aquilegias and dicentra, I am far from confident that they will survive the summer drought, but always worth a try!

The liliputt iris in the bank by the pond have started to flower too, with many of the divisions which Gilles made in late summer surviving, a much better show than I would have expected

So far we have

The Iris on the cliff face are looking better this year as well, probably because between us Gilles and I have managed to keep the area relatively weed free, and one may even flower. One survivor, too at the end of Wisteria Terrace, the other two unfortunately have fallen victim to digging, badgers suspected!

Tempted as ever by an offer from Cayeux Iris, I have planted more Lilliputs this past week, both in the bank by the pond and on the bank beside the deer steps, although I fear for the latter as there is little depth of soil and it is very dry, some rain forecast for the end of the week, but not a lot. I have added to the dwarf Iris on the cliff face as well, but again the dry conditions will not help.

This week saw our 46th wedding anniversary, and the first anniversary of the first French confinement. Now talk of a third wave, parts of France back in lockdown, although not us as yet, and a dizzying see-sawing on the “Oxford” vaccine, not for the over 65s, for everyone, for no-one, only for the over 55s, all within the space of a couple of weeks. Not that it makes much difference, reports are divided on how much vaccine France actually has, but there certainly seems to be a distribution problem, so no jabs soon. In the meantime the threat of lockdown, now effective, saw an exodus from Paris causing bouchons which would match the summer holidays, no surprise there either. This week we also agreed the sale of our UK home.

So, Spring in France, mostly sunny, surprisingly cold with a north wind, and frost this morning, good excuse for Gilles who really does NOT want to prune the Eucalyptus (again). I am reluctant to do it myself, having proposed several times that he do it, and anyway he is younger and taller than I, although I will probably end up improving on his efforts sine he does not believe in pollarding Eucalyptus, in contrast to his efforts with most other trees and shrubs!

At least Gilles is pleased with the new flowerbed that he and Dan, probably mostly Dan dug out on the “pond terrace” last autumn. They planted daffodils and various plants which do well in dry shade in Scotland, Brunnera, Pulmonaria, Epimedium and Aquilegia, and later in the year I added a selection of primulas. So far all but the Epimedium are doing well, although it remains to be seen what will survive the summer.

Lower down in the same partially cleared woodland I also planted some windflower bulbs, which this spring at least have survived, although the other bulbs in the banks there fell foul of the sanglier, who continue to make intermittent visits,

Cherries and Mimosa flowered earlier in the month, but are now past their best

The blossom has lasted longer on the Viburnum at the edge of the parking, the one that survived the last pruning relatively intact. Its neighbour is not dead but struggling, not helped by the deer who are enjoying the new leaves.

There are yellow daffodils everywhere, and white narcissi down by the gate, where the hellebores continue to flower, and the first Iris are nearly out, first butteries too.

Most surprising, on the steep slope beside the pond, where in the past it has been hard to establish anything, flowers on Delosperma Garnet, hopefully not a terminal event, as with other plants in the Scree Garden, they should do well if they can once get established.

We came back on the 8th of January. Not sure we would make it, the Dutch stopped flights and the French closed their borders just before Christmas in response to what is now the “Kent” variant Covid. But things settled down, and armed with Covid tests and the knowledge that our French residency cards were awaiting us in Lalinde, we ran the gauntlet of test result checks, sniffer dogs and Border officials, and were allowed in. It is at present less clear that we will be allowed out again, as Covid restrictions are tightened, but we have at any rate no desire to submit to being locked down in a hotel room for 10 days quarantine alongside people who may actually have Covid.

No vaccine to be had in France, of course, but the weather, although wet and intermittently cold, has been better than the UK snowstorms. As an added bonus we have reached that time of year when I am treated to sunrise on my morning walk to the boulangerie, and the colour spectrum has been stunning.

The garden was looking fairly sad in January when we returned, very sad in places where the wild boar had visited, fortunately they have been giving most of their attention to what passes for lawn, although they have excavated some of the prairie massifs as well, impossible to decide this early in the year if plants have survived or if i will need to re-plant.

First flowers in the garden, in time for Valentine’s day, were the Lenten roses, both in the bed by the gate

and in the bed underneath the hornbeam, and Sarah’s bed across from it.

Daffodils abound too

and the blue flowered plant in Walnut terrace was as ever early into flower.

I had another go at growing crocus this year, but when I had cleared the dead leaves off the plants found only an occasional flower, not sure if the deer eat them as they do tulip flowers or if they just don’t like the climate!

I have done some planting, clearing the moss off the wall below the Beach and supplementing the selection of Sempervivens I started adding in the autumn. Although it is dry there, there is a good depth of soil, so hopefully they will survive and spread.

I have also added to the roses in Walnut terrace, climbers which I hope will be vigorous, but it is a bit hope over experience, as is the addition of some red Coreopsis to the prairie. I have never forgotten the glorious glow of colour, on a summer evening, from the Limerick Ruby that were included in the original prairie planting, but did not survive to flower another year. I also added some hemerocallis to the prairie beds, in places where the sanglier had dug up the planting Dan & Gilles achieved in the autumn, replaced a time expired Cistus in the gravel garden with a dwarf wiegelia, and planted a greengage in the orchard.

So all looking good apart from the weeds, the battle continues.

Days getting shorter already. Here spring seems to have sped past, lucky for us when for so many confinement dragged interminably. The weather is more summery as well, after a cold spell in June we have had heat and a coupe of tremendous overnight thunderstorms, and today it has settled to cloudy and not too hot.

The Prairie now is a blaze of colour. Most of the height comes from the Grasses, but the Perovskia seems to grow taller each year despite assiduous pruning(!) and there are tall pale lilac spikes of Veronicastrum as well.

The Echinacea continue to hold their flowers well

Last to flower of the Prairie Salvias, salvia Sclarea Vatican White, also a good self seeder!

After a tentative start in the Gravel Garden, the Hemerocallis are now abundantly in flower everywhere.

Gentle Shepherd, with its creamy flowers in the Gravel garden and by the gate

Vibrant orange in the “hot” bed above the fosse

and a fantastic range of shades in the Prairie, yellow through peach to pink and darkest burgundy.

I guess it is principally shade from the Miscanthus, now taller than I and threatening to sprawl over, that results in later flowering in the Gravel garden. The fruit trees to the east, shading it from the morning sun, and garage to the west, probably impact as well. At any event, by the second week in June, Gravel garden flowers are suddenly abundant.

Most striking among them, tall spikes of Yucca

All 3 of the Yucca planted originally have survived, but 1 of them is struggling and only a rosette of leaves remains. The other two are both superb this year.

The flowering shrubs are looking good too. Buddelia was out last week, but has been joined now by delicate Indigofera gerardiana

and Lepedeza thunbergii

which after a couple of years is now holding its own in competition with the Gaura, but certainly needs to be staked if it is fully to be enjoyed.

Perennials are flowering too, in shades of blue, tradescantia and geranium

and pink, Lychnis Rose Campion, doing better where self seeded than originally planted, and Hemerocallis. There seems to be a rogue burgundy shade among the pinks, which I will leave as the contrast is not displeasing.

Meanwhile back on the prairie Pennisetum Tall Tails is in full flower

and other Grasses are also looking at their best, notably the Panicums, this one virgatum Kupferhirse.

At a lower level there are a few surviving Eupatorium cannibum plenum

The Monarda, which I thought had been strangled by weeds, are doing well in places

and Penstemon Blackbird is looking great this year.

Last but not least of this weeks flowering shrubs the Punica in the Stone Circle.

The hottest May on record may rapidly be being followed by the coldest June! Or perhaps we were just getting acclimatised. The garden, at any rate, has enjoyed a good soaking over the past few days, as have we on the occasions we ventured out, and it is a good deal cooler. While frustrated that at times it is too wet to work in the garden, I am also glad that we chose this moment to trim the box, since it can get sadly scorched if pruned in hot, dry weather.

I have now weeded once round the prairie, that has taken 12 weeks, and of course there are now plenty of new weeds back at the start point. I have also taken a fairly ruthless line with some plants in the Gravel Garden that I rather suspected of being weeds, scabious and daisies, it is sometimes difficult to know whether these are invaders or cultivated forms that have reverted. I have likewise removed several white achilleas growing among the red ones in the Prairie. In the Gravel Garden I will replace with Echinacea and Hemerocallis, both of which do well there, although as yet they have not broken bud.

In contrast some of the smaller Hemerocallis in the Prairie are already in flower, this is Corky, contrasting nicely with Penstemon barbatus coccineus

which is doing well this year with large clumps in several of the massifs. The flower spikes seem to lie somewhat horizontally in places, I’m not sure if this is wind damage or a struggle to support the weight of flowers.

Taller perennials are flowering now too, competing with the grasses for height. Notable among these at present are Achillea Cloth of Gold, with the Dianthus still in flower alongside, it has held its flowers well and more than earned its keep.

Also, inevitably Verbena bonariensis.

I am happy to have it, in limited quantity! I have removed a fair amount this year, including a clump which was alongside a deep orange Echinacea, an unfortunate combination, but they will be back, almost as good a Gaura and Scabious at self-seeding.

There are flowers away from the Prairie now as well. The Buddleias are out in The Gravel Garden, although not on the lower terraces.

The white Oleander, which I must have moved 3 times and finally homed adjacent to the swimming pool overflow, is spectacular, so spectacular indeed that it is now difficult to squeeze past, although I am reluctant to prune it.

The Lavender beds which Phillipe created for me down by the lower cave are well established now. Sadly the white lavender has not done as well as the blue, but there isn’t really space at present to replace it. Perhaps when these bushes reach the end of their natural life.

The salvias in Walnut Terrace are beginning to go over, but some at least of the Gladioli have survived

and even a few Potentillas on the lowest terrace have made it, although in reality I think it is probably too dry for them here.

The sun will be back soon, bringing out more varieties of Echinacea and Hemerocallis for next week.

Late May and the hot dry weather continues, high 20s at least so it is uncomfortable to work on the prairie in the afternoons. The gardening team have started turning up at 8.00 rather than 9.00, last year we were in late June if not July before they decided, wisely, that working in the afternoons was better avoided. This has not been a local phenomenon, the UK and indeed much of the rest of the world is reported as having had the hottest May on record. There has however been some very localised weather around here, flooding in Beynac at the beginning of the week although we have seen only a few drops of rain.

The focus in the garden now is the Prairie. The shrubs by the gate are almost over, and the hemerocallis not quite out, although amazingly the aquilegia is still holding on to a few last flowers. In the Gravel Garden and on Walnut Terrace likewise there is plenty of growth but little flower as yet, although the first lavender are flowering in the Mediterranean Garden

where the last Iris have not quite faded.

The deep purple, and occasional surviving rose, salvia nemerosa in the Prairie

have been joined by white Schneehugel

and salvia verticillata Purple Rain is also flowering now in Gravel Garden and Prairie, so nearly 4 weeks after the first salvia, praetensis, flowered.

Dianthus cathusarianorum blossomed in the middle of the month, and has held its flowers well for several weeks, heralding other pinks to come

First among these Echinacea pallida, a few tentative flowers towards the end of the month, and then a mass by early June

and pink flowers among the grasses too, Penisetum Karley Rose, pale at first but deepening in colour with time

Other Penisetums have begun to flower too, notably Red Buttons.

Penstemon Huskers Red, white flowered but with red foliage which will continue into summer, was out in late May.

By the end of the month there were flashes of red as well. Aptly named Echinacea Hot Papaya

and Achillea Red Beauty.

The smaller achilleas do not do as well here as their tall relations, barely holding their own. I do not know whether this reflects the variety, whether they have to battle harder against the weeds, or whether, planted as they are towards the front of the massifs, where the soil tends to dry out more quickly, they just suffer more in dry weather, perhaps worth asking Dan to spare them some mulch!

More colour to come in June, and perhaps some rain as well!

Moving towards an easing of lockdown, and along with it a return of sunny weather. Clothes shops and even hairdressers re-opened in the middle of the month and there was some easing of travel restrictions.

The deer have continued to leave the roses alone. A splendid showing in “Petit Versailles”

the box, sadly suffering in places from blight, still waiting to be trimmed. The pink roses alongside the Angels have also managed to escape the usual munching, complementing the last of the Iris, and accompanied by honeysuckle.

Viburnum Kiliminjaro has survived in the stone circle

but sadly not elsewhere in the garden. Alongside it the deer have pruned Cornus Winter Fire, again!

The Prairie is growing up fast

Only localised splashes of colour as yet, in mid May. One exception was Baptisia australis

one of which at least held its flower spikes for several weeks. The white Lychnis flowered early too

earlier than their deep pink cousins in the Gravel garden, which are still not flowering as I type at the end of the month.

The glory of the prairie at this time of year, however, are, as ever, the Phlomis

yellow russeliana, and pale purple tuberose Amazone, and the Stipa gigantea

providing a spectacular focus in several of the massifs, although it will disappear later in the year as the tall members of the daisy family grow up around it.

Finally yellow Coreopsis, self seeding enthusiastically, and threatening a takeover in places, fortunately mostly places where it is too dry for much else to go, and deep blue Salvia nemerosa provide a glorious contrast of colour.

No apologies for another post focusing on the Iris as they are the highlight of the spring garden. The tall bearded have come into their own in the last 2 weeks, sadly fading now, but they provide so much colour between spring bulbs and tree blossom and the summer flowers.

In the Stone Circle at the end of the parking lot, planted to discourage visiting tradesman from driving over the piping to the geothermie, Secret Rites was the first to appear

Next was Brasero

then “Caramel Delicieux”,

not sure this one is in the best place, it shines out well against the dark green leaves of the Punica, but looks slightly out of place with the other shades in the bed and might be better alongside the other “unusual shades” iris at the drive corner, I may move it in the autumn.

Last in this bed, Poivron Rouge

In the “Hot” bed, planted to conceal the excavations of the fosse, first out were Bold God and Feu Follet

then, a more apricot shade, Amplified

and moving to the coppers, Tabac Blond

and last, rather overwhelmed by the grasses and probably needing rescuing, my favourite in this bed, Hermes,

somehow makes me think more of a silk scarf from an expensive Parisian shop than the winged messenger of the gods!

Jaques Couer and Futuriste in the Mediterranean Garden were quickly followed by Lumarco

and a very lovely gold standard, gold and pink falls iris which I cannot identify

Bois Précieux was a gorgeous deep red, but this year produced only a single spike which fell foul of a passing gale, but I have hopes for it next year.

Next was Haut les Voiles

which has proved substantially more wind resistant, and last in the Med Garden Gold Galore

The blues in the beds beyond the pool have been disappointing this year, probably because I thinned and divided them last autumn, and flowering in the lower terraces has been patchy, with the exception of the planting of Hot Spiced Wine and Rustic Royal which have finally established at the end of Walnut Terrace

May Day – cold and very wet. Be careful what you wish for. A week or so back, after 4 dry, and for April, hot, weeks, we were wishing for rain to top up reserves before the summer drought. We were even in the pool, now a distant memory!

There is obvious growth in the prairie now, some of the grasses already quite tall

The first flowers are out, all shades of blue at present, apart from the buttercups which have so far escaped weeding. The Nepeta were first to appear

Next tha Amasonia

and most recently the first of the salvias

There are salvias out on Walnut Terrace as well

along with the dwarf cornus, dwarf, in the case of cornus, dwarf being a relative term.

Most precious of all, a rosebud, well sheltered, which presumably explains why the deer have failed to eat it, although in fact the deer have not been much in evidence in the past couple of weeks, possibly our constant presence in the house has discouraged them.

There are early alliums too, both purple and white, in some years also victims of the deer, and still more Iris, with my collection of “unusual shades” on the corner of the drive, looking particularly fine. Thornbird, with pale standards and darker falls, and Patina, dark standards and pale cream falls, complement each other well, and Burnt Toffee, in shades of purple and brown completes the picture.

sadly the wind and rain are taking their toll, but there are some still to come before May is out.