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Well, we did promise you a 'RoseFest' for the May Blog Post …. and here it is, albeit rather late, as usual!
While the weather continues to be variable, with temperatures bouncing around from 12C to 32C and a high humidity, the roses started to appear in earnest about two weeks ago. The majority of these are the varieties we have brought from a remarkable rose grower - Les Roses Anciennes du Jardin de Talos ….. they are in Saint Lizier, between Tarbes and Toulouse, and currently they grow well over 200 varieties in 'bio culture'. We bought the roses at the plant market at Villeneuve-sur-Vere, which is an annual event at the end of September. When we bought the first selection (three years ago) the roses were no more than 50-75 cms and it was difficult to accept the assurances that the specimens would grow anything between 8 and 12 metres. Well, three years on and if anything all the roses have grown more than the stated sizes. Most of the stock is from around the turn of the 20th century .... so, some examples - this is Amethyste dated 1911:
While the weather continues to be variable, with temperatures bouncing around from 12C to 32C and a high humidity, the roses started to appear in earnest about two weeks ago. The majority of these are the varieties we have brought from a remarkable rose grower - Les Roses Anciennes du Jardin de Talos ….. they are in Saint Lizier, between Tarbes and Toulouse, and currently they grow well over 200 varieties in 'bio culture'. We bought the roses at the plant market at Villeneuve-sur-Vere, which is an annual event at the end of September. When we bought the first selection (three years ago) the roses were no more than 50-75 cms and it was difficult to accept the assurances that the specimens would grow anything between 8 and 12 metres. Well, three years on and if anything all the roses have grown more than the stated sizes. Most of the stock is from around the turn of the 20th century .... so, some examples - this is Amethyste dated 1911:
- and this is Bobbie James, a more recent rose (1961) that grows 10 metres plus:
.... and going back to the earlier dated roses, we have two that have been spectacular in their growth (well over their stated 8 metres) - Ethel (1912) and Tresor de Thorigny (1900):
It is interesting that Jan Surguet of Les Roses Anciennes du Jardin de Talos found the stock for the rose Ethel growing in wild conditions and this is still evident in the more remote areas of the Ariege, Tarn and Averyon:
So, here is a photomontage of how these roses are now looking in 'Nichoir's' garden after just three years of growth:
We will have to see how many flowerings we can achieve this year - so, it will be a good feed (for the roses, that is …) all round at the end of June and then hopefully we may see these beautiful roses flower well into the Autumn.
As the roses have appeared, so have the water-lilies and aquatic plants around the pond - all the better this year due to the amount of clearing we did of the over-hanging trees and growth around the pond.:
As the roses have appeared, so have the water-lilies and aquatic plants around the pond - all the better this year due to the amount of clearing we did of the over-hanging trees and growth around the pond.:
So, what else has been going on - well, keeping with the garden, there is a good strawberry crop and the vegetable garden is beginning to show signs of real growth:
And on the wildlife front, we have been keeping a close eye on our nesting boxes, of which we have quite a few. Some are clearly now occupied, but annoyingly the one that we have set up with the in-box camera, linked to the monitor in the Barn sitting room, has remained 'vacant' ….. we are not quite sure why, as the box has been sited exactly to RSB guidelines and it is rent-free! So, perhaps we'll just ignore those guidelines and re-site it for next year, and see if we have better results!
But it's one bird that is hogging the limelight, just as last month …. by far the busiest bird-box inhabitant has been the Great-Tit - a real 'Deliveroo-Tit', flying back and forth by the minute, pecking at our windows, collecting tasty snacks, and delivering these to the bird-box and the new arrivals and then off again on a ceaseless, dutiful round. So, we have to say that Gilbert the Great-Tit has to be 'Wildlife of the Month'.
Other than our hours in the garden we have had a very successful last screening of the season with the BruelFilmClub. This time it was the Japanese film Still Walking - which was very much enjoyed by our audience of around twenty people … a great mix of nationalities … French, English, American, Dutch, Irish and Belgian - so, we are a small club, but strong on diversity of nationality! The film was followed by a range of Japanese sushi, with saki and tea. We have been encouraged by the enthusiasm for the Club, so we aim to start a new season of films in October.
Lastly, we are making progress on our idea of offering a stay here at 'Nichoir' for families and children who might benefit from a period of peace, quiet and restfulness. It may be for families with children who are requiring respite or for families who have undergone bereavement. There will be no charge, but families will have to organise (with assistance as required) their travel. We are now in touch with a Children's Hospice who are very keen to take on the development. We trust that this first occasion will go well and that we can see how to then take things forward. It is a small thing, but we hope that it will be worthwhile for all concerned.
To those of you who are still reading this Blog (well, bon courage, for a start!) - we hope this coming Summer is good for you and yours.
Lastly, we are making progress on our idea of offering a stay here at 'Nichoir' for families and children who might benefit from a period of peace, quiet and restfulness. It may be for families with children who are requiring respite or for families who have undergone bereavement. There will be no charge, but families will have to organise (with assistance as required) their travel. We are now in touch with a Children's Hospice who are very keen to take on the development. We trust that this first occasion will go well and that we can see how to then take things forward. It is a small thing, but we hope that it will be worthwhile for all concerned.
To those of you who are still reading this Blog (well, bon courage, for a start!) - we hope this coming Summer is good for you and yours.
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