Thursday 19 June 2014

Le Jardin du Château de Balleroy

Posted by Rosie

Things are ticking along nicely in the vegetable garden here at Eco-Gites of Lenault - beetroot has FINALLY germinated, beans seemed to have stopped sulking and are growing and I almost have a ripe tomato in the polytunnel.  The latter is particularly pleasing as I opened the last jar of the passata I made with last year's tomatoes this evening when I made pasta bake.  I need to be making more soon!

As a bit of a change from normal for my Thursday gardening update, I thought I'd show you some garden pictures from a day out I had with friends this week.  We had hoped to go to Le Jardin des Oubliés but it wasn't open the day we had free so we went instead to the gardens of the Château de Balleroy. It was only 4€ to get in and whilst they are not a huge gardens and not an all-out floral extravaganza they were all the same lovely to visit.  The front gardens are formal and very French is design whilst at the back they are more like an English parkland with paths through meadows and woodlands.

Don't walk on the grass!

A minibeast hotel

Entrance to the bee hives

Flag iris

Meadows with the Château behind

The formal front garden

Orangery and box hedges

You would probably get a  much better view of the box hedge knot garden from an upstairs château window but we didn't go in as we were short of time.  I did also feel rather sorry for the young man whose job it was to clip the hedges - all by hand. I reckon he'll be there for weeks!

Have you visited any gardens of French Châteaux?  Did you like them? Or are you too busy clipping your own Knot Garden?!

Perhaps other gardeners have blogged about visits to open gardens - why not have a look at Mammasaurus's How Does Your garden Grow linky and nose around some other gardening blogs.

Mammasaurus and How Does Your Garden Grow?

26 comments :

  1. Very pretty gardens. I do not envy that hedge-clipper either!

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  2. I would love to visit here to explore. I once did a garden design course and French gardens intrigue me. I do love a formal garden and the topiary of course.

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    1. The French certainly do love their formality in the garden.

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  3. O la la I am liking this! And bee hives? Did I see the word Bee Hives ?! *excited face*
    I too saw some rather lovely box hedging this week, it looks epic I know but part of me always cringes at how long it must take to maintain! your top photo made me chuckle - is that you? I don't think I've seen a photo of you yet so I hope it is!!!!
    Thanks for joining in! x

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    1. No - not me! I was behind the camera. There are photos of me out there on T'Internet but they are very few and far between .... you have to come and see me in person ;)

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  4. The formal garden looks very impressive and having just spent an hour trimming our box hedging by hand, I have huge sympathy for the young man!

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    1. So do I - and his work was a lot straighter than anything I have ever done in the past!

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  5. looks like a lovely place to visit for the day

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  6. The garden looks lovely! The hedging is fantastic, I bet it took forever! Have a lovely week x #HDYGG

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    1. I want to go back and see it from an upper window of the château to really get it's knotty effects.

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  7. those box hedges are amazing, so neat! x

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    1. I was very impressed with their straight edges and not dead woody bits.

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  8. Haha! I love the "do not walk on the grass"!

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    1. Thank you - and what a daft strip of grass this was!

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  9. If I could have a box maze and an orangery in our garden, I would be more than happy. We have one length of box hedging, but my husband uses a hedge cutter on it. Suspect hand trimming would be more sympathetic. #HDYGG

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    1. The hedges were certainly in very good nick, Cheryl, so I suspect hand clipping is better for them, albeit more time consuming.

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  10. I love the bug hotel - keep meaning to make one for our garden with my boys :)

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  11. Gorgeous. These pictures make me want to be in France!!!!!

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  12. I would love to see the gardener work. I was thinking Edward Scissorhand now =) #hdygg

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    1. LOL - he did have fingers as far as I can remember!

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