In France today, the heritage of classic parterres and landscaped parks, of botanical enquiry and family kitchen gardens, provides an inspiration for fresh delights and creativity. Louisa Jones has been exploring this heritage ever since she acquired an old farmstead in southern France nearly 30 years ago. For this book, she invited the hugely talented French photographers Gilles Le Scanff and Joelle Caroline Mayer to join her on an odyssey that took them from Normandy to the Riviera, the Loire to the Pyrenees, to reveal the full extent of the Renaissance in French country gardens. Richly diverse, these gardens have been sensitively organised into six themes appealing to every taste. Highly fashionable 'Grandmothers' Gardens' combine fruits, herbs, flowers and vegetables in seemingly haphazard displays to offer nostalgic visions of cottage-style family life. 'Gardens for the Five Senses', inspired by the medieval and Renaissance past, focuses on sensual stimulation. The 'Passion for Plants' is exhibited in exotic, beautiful and novel planting schemes. 'Formal Fancies' take the elegance of the classical parterre but endow it with contemporary wit and fantasy. 'Nature's Ways' emphasizes the protection of natural biotypes and regional landscapes. And 'Planetary Perspectives' shows how French gardeners are giving their own creative gloss to worldwide exchanges of knowledge and resources. Table of Contents Introduction: French Gardens Today; 1. French Country Gardens; 2. Celebration of the Senses; 3. A Passion for Plants; 4. Formal Fancies; 5. Nature's Ways; 6. Planetary Perspectives Reviews "'Stunning... a beautiful and sensuous book' - Irish Homes" About the Author Louisa Jones's lectures, articles and books are a synonym for style in the world of contemporary gardens and gardening. Her many books include Gardens of Provence, Kitchen Gardens of France and Saveurs du Potager. Gilles Le Scanff and Joelle Mayer have been photographing gardens for more than twenty years for books and magazines such as Mon Jardin, Mon Maison. From The Publisher: "If you are looking for a celebration of life in a small space, turn to the French garden for the answers."--"The Evening Standard"
French country gardening has experienced a renaissance in recent years. While the great French heritage still thrives, its traditions now provide inspiration for fresh delights and creative expression, as vividly demonstrated in this beautifully photographed volume.
The book reaches into every corner of France, from Normandy to the Riviera, from Picardy to the Pyrenees, revealing in exquisite detail the full extent and exciting diversity of the modern French country garden. A magical and intimate "grandmother's garden" on the ancient Via Aurelia combines fruits, herbs, flowers, and vegetables; "gardens for the five senses" focus on sensual stimulation; "natural" gardens protect local ecosystems; and formal gardens incorporate witty and subversive variations on the traditional pattern. 236 color illustrations. |
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