Chelsea 2007

       'Le Jardin de Vincent'

The idea behind 'Le Jardin de Vincent' came from a rough sketch drawn at the breakfast table.

The drawing showed an old French house with a very simple garden.

Provence came to mind,but Provence with a difference...!This garden would be inspired by the paintings of Vincent van Gogh and his love of Provence where,between 1888 and 1890,he produced some of his most famous works.

Planting

The planting is simple and pleasurable with soft and gentle greys,green

and blues. These bring to life the striking blue in the irises and the sunshine

orange in the Calendula (marigolds).A fig and oleander lean lazily against

the house. Three Italian cypresses brood dark green in the north-west corner

by the window.A small olive tree provides welcome shade itself surrounded by lavenders, santolinas, thyme and ox-eye daisies.

The leaves of the Calamagrostis planted close to the fence on both sides of the garden, mimic the wheatfields painted by van Gogh. A splash of red is provided by the geraniums in terracotta pots on the window sill. It is a garden of broad brush strokes, moving colours and a seductive simplicity that is so suggestive of van Gogh's work.

 Chelsea 2009

'Entente Cordiale'

RHS chelsea Flower Show

Planting

The backdrop to the garden is a cottage facade rendered and painted white. The 'cottage', with its traditional slate tiles, is a familiar sight either side of the Channel and the wooden shutters, painted blue, are typically French.

Columnar Taxus Baccata planted symmetrically either side of the garden give structure and a sense of formality as do the clipped balls of Buxus sempervirens. Other plants are repeated in a French fashion. However, this repetition is combined with a  sumptuous mix of traditional British favourites such as Roses, Peonies, Delphiniums and Foxgloves. Planted containers provide more garden style associations. The window box with geraniums is quintessentially French while the mixture of annuals in a hanging basket is so British. 'Fines Herbes' (a culinary mainstay in French cuisine), clipped Laurus nobilis and Lavenders complete the container planting.

A small table and chairs provide a place to sit and relax. Set with china, a cafetiere and tea pot, croissants,scones and a jar of Bonne Maman conserve, it reflects both British and French traditions. Copies of The Times and Le Monde add to the scene. A cricket bat and ball by the door and a set of boules provide more traditionally British and French touches.

Geranium sanguineum 'Album'
Iris sibirica 'Flight of Butterflies'
Lupinus 'My Castle'
Paeonia lactiflora 'White Wings'
Paeonia officinalis rubra plena
Rosa 'Chevy Chase'
Rosa 'Norwich Theatre Royal'
Rosa 'Prosperity'
Taxus baccata

Du'eau – at last a water butt that looks great in any garden.

This is a unique dual purpose water butt conceived and designed by 'A Touch of France' and

manufactured exclusively by Clarke and Spears International, leading specialist suppliers of planters in the UK. Du'eau (rainwater harvesting planters) is a new concept in green gardening, a water butt that combines practical water storage with a professional grade planter.

We developed the concept of this functional yet stylish water butt after visiting Clarke and Spears. While discussing ways in which water could be stored in more aesthetically pleasing containers, the idea of a dual purpose container took root. We produced some initial designs and showed them to the company's managing director Tony Sawyer who was very enthusiastic about the idea.

Each Du'eau planter links easily to a rainwater downpipe and features a planting compartment on top of the integral water tank. The innovation doesn’t stop there –  Du'eau uses the water tank as a reservoir for the planter so that under normal conditions the plants barely need to be hand-watered at all. Each is hand-made in the UK using  a special advanced composite (AC) formulation which contains fibreglass as the base material making them strong, lightweight and both UV and frost resistant. Du'eau planters can be specified in any colour and have a large range of unique natural finishes including rust, terracotta, Portland stone, sandstone, lead, aged lead and copper blue.

As well as the standard range, most of Clarke and Spears  professional planter range can be ordered in Du'eau specification. They can even join units together to make a special feature – just call 0131 440 9804 and they will be delighted to discuss your project.

Contact : www.csi.eu.com

Our Garden at Chelsea was inspired by the ' Entente Cordiale' agreement signed by Britain and France on 8 April 1904, which recognised the two nations common interests and sought better ways of working together. The garden combines the generally more French formal approach to gardening with the more relaxed British cottage style.

Enduring friendship is the inspiration behind the garden.