Chantal's garden

This private country garden in Upper Normandy bears testament to its creator's passion.

07/04/2002
Chantal's garden
Some of you, my gentle readers, have expressed an interest in seeing not only French public gardens, but also those of ordinary home gardeners like you and I. This is just such a garden. Chantal Gardeur is the sister-in-law of my companion Denis. That's Alain, Denis' brother, standing by her side in front of their beautifully restored chaumière--a traditionally Norman, post-and-beam, thatched roof home. They live in Veauville-les-Quelles, a tiny village not five minutes from our house in Normandy.

Chantal is the most unprepossessing, modest gardener in the world. I had to cajole her into letting me photograph her and her garden last weekend, against her protests that things were not at their peak. Like those of all of us impassioned gardeners, her eyes are always scanning her beds looking for things that need to be done.

Chantal has created a garden that is far from ordinary. A retired schoolteacher with no professional landscape experience, she has nevertheless laid out a garden that is outstanding for its graceful division of space into flowing beds and sweeps of lawn. What's more, although her property isn't that big, Chantal has deftly made it seem more spacious by creating curving paths of lawn that conceal what's beyond and invite you to walk farther. For instance, the border at left is followed by this arbor, smothered in 'Veilchenblau' roses, which entices you to pass beneath and see what's beyond.

Chantal's garden mixes respect for tradition with a collector's passion for interesting plants and for coaxing along ones that are difficult. Thus, she has the ultimately classic Norman planting--a hedge of bigleaf hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla cv.) against the end of her house. No other flower symbolizes the Norman garden as much as the hydrangea, which thrives in the cool, moist climate and acid soils of the region.

And in Chantal's garden, this traditional plant is kept company by the most traditional fixture of the Norman country house: the well, or puit, visible toward the left of the photo, which of course in bygone days served as the sole source of water for the property.

On the other hand, Chantal's garden is rich in unusual plants. In the photo of the border near the top of the article, you can see a large clump of Knautia macedonica, with its deep red, jewel-like blossoms. This little-grown perennial is one of my favorites, as it blooms all summer long without deadheading. But this was the first time I'd seen it in Normandy. Likewise, there's a magnificent clump of goatsbeard (Aruncus dioicus), in full bloom when we visited (see photo at right).

Chantal, although she modestly denies this, has a great sensitivity to plant forms and textures, often creating surprising and very successful combinations. For instance, she achieves a very interesting echo of both color and form with the three-plant combination at left. The plumey forms of the queen of the prairie (Filipendula venusta var. rubra, in bud at the back) and the astilbe in the foreground reverberate in pleasing harmony. The dramatic white calla lily, while echoing the white of the astilbe, provides exciting contrast with its starkly dramatic flower form to the soft plumes of the other two plants.

Both Chantal and Alain are avid antique collectors, and their acquisitions are used as garden ornaments as well as in their interior decoration. This magnificent wooden cider press serves as a visual focus in one corner of the garden, and reminds all viewers that this garden is in Normandy, country of apples.

Chantal's garden is always pristine and neat, virtually weedless and all the beds immaculately edged. She is a firm believer in the French tradition of cultivating your gardens instead of smothering them in mulch. Yet she clearly appreciates the value of contemplation of the garden, as their is plenty of outdoor seating and at least 3 sun umbrellas. Apart from the patio in front of the house, where we were gathered at table for an aperitif and snacks, these two wooden chairs invited us to stroll across the garden and view it from a different perspective.

A different perspective on gardening is exactly what Marina, the companion of Chantal's son, Theirry, has in mind. Marina and Thierry live just across the lane from Chantal and Alain. While we chatted and photographed Chantal's garden, Marina made it clear that she, too, had a garden, and that her ideas on the subject were very different from those of Chantal. So, walk across the lane with us to visit "Marina's garden," up next.

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Products of Interest:

Embroidered table linens--Full service for 6--Fleurs des Champs'
Reversible weeding rake
Zinc hedgehog tag

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