Parapluies au Potager {Umbrellas in the Garden}

Just thought I'd share an idea on how to add a little panache to your potager.

Add umbrellas!

I added these umbrellas to my garden to provide a little bit of shelter for my transplated seedlings (the ones I started indoors but was too impatient to harden up little by little.)

I simply poked the umbrella handle down into the soil right above the seedlings that needed protection. (Since I have raised beds, the soil is soft enough to easily adjust the height of the umbrellas.) These green bean seedlings were actually sown straight into the raised bed and don't need any help from the umbrella, but I wanted to give you a visual.


A view of my potager from the outside: happy, vintage parapluies gracing the garden

Lavender basking under the canopy of a vintage peach umbrella---the life!!!

Now I'm searching for a beautiful sunbrella to put in the potager. I would love to have a beautiful sunbrella made from vintage white linens with touches of lace. I have the frame, so all I need is the fabric covering. If you know where I can find something like this or someone who specializes in making beautiful sunbrellas, please share. Wouldn't that be such a romantic touch to a garden? Sitting under it, sipping coffee, reading a book, working a puzzle (mosty likely a child's puzzle), dining alfresco...

_{images by à la parisienne}

Le Romantisme du Printemps

Alors, le printemps est officiellement arrivé {So, spring has officially arrived} and we have been busy working on spring projects- le potager {kitchen garden} and a new venture-(Hopefully, I can share the details soon!)

And we have been enjoying spring happenings- parades, carnivals, fun homeschool activities, cycling, and garden club meetings. Springtime is such a joyful time of year for my family, and I wish it would last all year long!

This year I decided to start all of my seedlings indoors and had the discipline to plant them mid-January. The results have been totally worth it since I have many beautiful plants to start adding to the garden.

I was so "ambitious" that I even started a few green bean seedlings indoors. My dad, a much more experienced gardener, explained to me, after the fact, that people generally don't start green beans indoors since they grow so rapidly...

Ahem...Okay, lesson learned.

I have green beans growing in ma salle de bains {bathroom}...sérieusement.

So, this weekend, there will be many tasks for the potager, including planting my green beans outside.

Caring for a garden has been the most soul-gratifying hobby I've ever experienced.

Stresses completely vanish while working in the garden and my family is rewarded with healthy food to eat, which I count such a privilege.

_{canteloupe leaves trailing down in front of a gold mirror-great juxstaposition of nature and glamour.}

_{And, yes, I planted Charentais canteloupe seeds indoors, too... I had the space and the seeds and I figured pourquoi pas??}

I hope you all are enjoying your spring and all of its special moments.

Bon week-end!

I'm off to go dig in the dirt!
_{images via à la parisienne}

Cultivating a Sustainable Life One Step at a Time

As the prices for groceries gradually climb and the quality of grocery chain's produce continues to decrease, my desire for cultivating a semi-self-sustained life grows.

For the last two years, I have dabbled in gardening hoping to save a few bucks on squash, tomatoes, and zuccinis, but my desire to grow my own food has flourished into a passion.

This spring, my husband and I completely revamped our garden (pictures to come soon), and I have recently started a garden club at our church, which has already been a great blessing of fellowship and exchange of gardening wisdom.

The following images are pictures of my 2010 garden.


_{We made a literal raised "bed" by placing an antique headboard behind the raised bed containers.}

_{Last year's garden was quite small-about 4 feet wide by 10 feet long and was comprised of a small 4 foot square plot in the ground and 4 small raised beds.}

_{Amelia's watering "can"}

<sub>an old wheel barrow cradled cheerful zinnas

In last year's garden, I parked an old wheelbarrow in between the raised beds and the plants planted in the</sub>

_{ground to offer some height and interest.}

Who says escargot can't entertain a two year old?

I tried my best not to freak out everytime Amelia played with snails in our yard. She needs to get her hands dirty and to have a hands on experience when we are outdoors.

In a month or so, I will be sharing the newly designed garden, and by then, hope to be feasting on its goodness!

_{images by à la parisienne}

Les joies du printemps: les fleurs sur les toits, à la fenêtre, et par terre

"The Delights of Spring: Flowers on the Rooftops, at the Window, and on the Ground"

Flowers are my favorite part of Spring. I just love their beautiful colors and fragrances.

Although only a minority of Parisians can say that they have un jardin sur le toit (a garden on the rooftop), it's still Parisian-and quite dreamy might I add! Marie Claire Maison did a small article over this garden which overlooks the City of Love. Interestingly there is also a children's playhouse up there! See the article for more pics and details; however, on doit le lire en francais. (You must read it in French!) From what I read, his strategy was to pull off of the problems with the rooftop - too many chimneys- and create small, separate gardens.

An interesting thing about the French, is there love for dining outdoors during the summers; they have the perfect climate and in mid-summer the sun doesn't set before 9:30pm. Honestly, I am not sure of the exact hour of sunset. (I will look into the exact hour.) This rooftop garden also has an outdoor salle à manger -"diningroom," and these plants serve as a barrier from the wind. Do they take out-of -country reservations for two?? Can you imagine celebrating an anniversary here? Ça sera romantique, n'est-ce pas? (Translation- That would be romantic wouldn't it?)

I snapped this photo from a tour bus! Yeah, touristy!

Provided that only a fraction of Parisians have a rooftop garden, only a minority could boast of having such a beautifully sculptured window. The first time I visited Paris (about 8 years ag0) was at the end of May, and one of my first memories is that of looking up at all of the apartment windows (fancy or plain) and seeing them peppered with window boxes loaded with bright magenta and red Geraniums! These window boxes were their only personal slices of earth-of nature. (Now we understand why Paris has so many public gardens)! Can you imagine owning only a couple of square feet for your own outdoor plants? We should all be so thankful for any space we have.
One interesting thing I learned while touring Paris was that these window boxes, while beautiful, actually serve a functional purpose- the scent of Geraniums actually deter mosquitos from entering through an open window. And most Parisians rely on that open window for air current during those hot summer months- pas de climatisation (no air-conditioning)!

I took this picture in the gardens of the Château de Chenonceau. Here's another prime picnic place-only in our dreams- one is not allowed to walk on the grass - pelouse interdite!

Flowers from my garden last summer

If you are not from Texas, this is what we look forward to seeing along the highways here- a blanket of bluebonnets! When I was a French teacher, I passed by this beautiful field on the way to work every April! One day I finally trespassed and got a few quick pictures!

I included these last two pictures just for fun. As I was discussing our unpredictable Texas weather in my last post over Picnics, I remembered when it snowed in April a couple of years ago. It was surreal. It rarely snows in this part of Texas and too have more than an inch of snow after most of the trees had leafed out and while flowers were blooming-that was incroyable!

A Violet Iris Topped with Snow - What a contrast!

Neige en avril (2007)