An English Garden in Provence


Book Description

At a young age Natasha Spender came into contact with the renowned gardens of such literary figures as Virginia and Leonard Woolf, Harold Nicolson, Vita Sackville-West, and Michael Astor. In the 1960s she and her husband, the poet Sir Stephen Spender, acquired the ruins of a farmhouse enclosed in the dramatic skyline of the Alpilles. After years of hard work the result was a unique garden. Lady Spender’s gardening friendships with the locals and neighbors, the regular and inspiring visits of friends such as John Bayley and Iris Murdoch, Francis Bacon, and the Annans, her explorations of the surrounding landscape, and passages from Stephen Spender’s unpublished journals, all contribute to this enchanting book. It is both a record of the creation of a beautiful garden in the arid hills of Provence, and a treasure trove for devoted gardeners.




Gardens in Provence


Book Description

Ever since the nineteenth century Provence has fascinated its numerous visitors. The heart of Provence-the lower Rhone valley-offers an incomparable range of sites: Roman ruins, winding Renaissance hill towns, and labyrinthine grottoes dominated by lofty peaks. Yet the gardens of Provence have remained as secret as the region itself is celebrated. Gardens in Provence takes its readers on a fascinating private tour of some of the loveliest hidden treasures in the south of France. Author Louisa Jones spent more than five years visiting nearly two hundred gardens and her lively and informative text marries history and horticulture, conveying all the charm of the region. With its extensive plant list and visitor's guide, this book is an unending source of inspiration for garden lovers. Spectacular photographs by Vincent Motte capture all the color, beauty, and magic of this patch of heaven on earth.




New Gardens in Provence


Book Description

Garden-makers from all over the world are redefining Mediterranean style in harmony with international trends. From the smallest city courtyard to the largest landscape projects, these creations set off the famous Provençal landscapes in a hundred different ways.




Public Parks, Private Gardens


Book Description

The spectacular transformation of Paris during the 19th century into a city of tree-lined boulevards and public parks both redesigned the capital and inspired the era’s great Impressionist artists. The renewed landscape gave crowded, displaced urban dwellers green spaces to enjoy, while suburbanites and country-dwellers began cultivating their own flower gardens. As public engagement with gardening grew, artists increasingly featured flowers and parks in their work. Public Parks, Private Gardens includes masterworks by artists such as Bonnard, Cassatt, Cézanne, Corot, Daumier, Van Gogh, Manet, Matisse, Monet, and Seurat. Many of these artists were themselves avid gardeners, and they painted parks and gardens as the distinctive scenery of contemporary life. Writing from the perspective of both a distinguished art historian and a trained landscape designer, Colta Ives provides new insights not only into these essential works, but also into this extraordinarily creative period in France’s history.




The Gardener of Versailles


Book Description

An “eccentric and charming” love letter to Versailles Palace and its storied grounds, by the man who knows them best—for gardening lovers and Francophiles (New York Times) Tour Versailles’ 2,100 acres as its gardener-in-chief describes its fascinating history and his 40 years of living and working in the gardens. In Alain Baraton’s Versailles, every grove tells a story. As the gardener-in-chief, Baraton lives on its grounds, and since 1982 he has devoted his life to the gardens, orchards, and fields that were loved by France’s kings and queens as much as the palace itself. His memoir captures the essence of the connection between gardeners and the earth they tend, no matter how humble or grand. With the charm of a natural storyteller, Baraton weaves his own path as a gardener with the life of the Versailles grounds, and his role overseeing its team of 80 gardeners tending to 350,000 trees and 30 miles of walkways across 2,100 acres. He richly evokes this legendary place and the history it has witnessed but also its quieter side that he feels privileged to know: The same gardens that hosted the lavish lawn parties of Louis XIV and the momentous meeting between Marie Antoinette and the Cardinal de Rohan remain enchanted—private places where visitors try to get themselves locked in at night, lovers go looking for secluded hideaways, and elegant grandmothers secretly make cuttings to take back to their own gardens. A tremendous bestseller in France, The Gardener of Versailles gives an unprecedentedly intimate view of one of the grandest places on earth.




Provence - Artists - Gardens


Book Description

Artists have always been drawn to Provence, seduced by its outstanding natural beauty its fields of lavender, vineyards and olive trees. In this lavishly illustrated book, Julia Droste-Hennings presents over twenty Provençal gardens styled by the adept minds and hands of artists. Their gardens take many forms, from imposing sculpture parks to delicate assemblages and spaces that take inspiration from Italian classical gardens. Evocative and inspiring, this sumptuous book is an exciting showcase and an original source of gardening inspiration.




Provence Glory


Book Description

From cities to quaint towns and everything in between, Provence has something for everyone. Swim in the crystal clear waters of the Calanque de Sormiou in Marseille. Drive with the top down through fields of lavender in Valensole. Experience a bite of just-out-of-the-oven fougasse, a Provençal classic. Stand in awe of the beautiful, white Camargue horses native to the area. Located in the South of France, Provence is uniquely positioned to be a cultural blend of the Mediterranean. Roman landmarks still prevail from the 1st century AD alongside châteaus from medieval times—a varied legacy brightened by the indigenous mimosas and cypresses.




Gardens in France


Book Description

France's most beautiful public and private gardens open their gates to us in every season of the year: from the classical French palace gardens at Vaux-le-Vicomte down to humble domestic gardens in Normandy, from stylized Zen gardens in Provence to cactus displays on the Cote d'Azur. The typical plants of each climatic region are represented - delphiniums, roses and irises in the North, and California poppies, santolinas, and lavender in the Midi. This book is a source of inspiration for all lovers of gardens and nature as well as anyone travelling to France. Most of these gardens are open to the public and provide an astonishing feast for the eyes.




Provence


Book Description

In this 2nd revised edition, all the entries have been reworked. The tour of Provence's lush gardens, exquisite wineries, local crafts, unique museums, fine hotels and restaurants have been expanded, and the author has added 14 Provencal recipes and a section devoted to Terence Conran's home and garden.




My Good Life in France


Book Description

Ten years ago, Janine Marsh decided to leave her corporate life behind to fix up a run-down barn in northern France. This is the true story of her rollercoaster ride.




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