I never cease to be surprised by readers' reactions to the articles on my blog . In the same week that I write a slightly more 'serious' commentary on 'Why do Americans go to Paris and the British come to the Dordogne' for the Expatica.com site, the most responses I have had are on the beautiful arrangement of Boules de Neige or Snow Balls** I have standing in my dining room at the moment! I realised this was the ideal moment to tell you about an amazing garden right here on the south bank of the Dordogne River, nestled in amongst the hills behind Couze, Lalinde's neighbouring village.
On Sunday morning I had a call from Josette - a delightful friend of mine. "Come pick some flowers from the garden", she said. "They are looking so beautiful, but they will not last in this heat".
I know that Josette's garden is very special. It goes on show during the season and must be one of the most beautiful gardens - and definitely one of the best manicured gardens I have ever had the pleasure of visiting. The number of hours that Josette and Charles spend to keep the garden so exquisite are phenomenal --- this kind of master piece does not come without its price!
But the extra-special feature of the garden is the fact that the two of them, Charles and Josette, literally created this garden from absolutely nothing themselves.
The lovely little story is that when Charles was a little boy, he and his brother were in the back of the car as the family returned home in northern France from a motoring holiday in the South, and as they drove through Couze, Charles said to his brother "This is where I will live when I grow up!" A lifetime- a successful career- in Paris, a lovely marriage to Josette and a little family- and a beautiful home in Paris later, the two of them moved from Paris down to --- yes! to Couze. The fact that Charles has to commute to Paris to work, never stood in their way: as a little boy he had decided he wanted to live in Couze, and so he does! They bought a stand in the hills -- a gentle sloping hill with grass and a couple of trees in the one corner. In their own typical and inimitable way, they set about designing and creating -- first the garden, and then, when the garden was planted, the house! They drew pictures, worked out the terrain and where hills had to be created, contours had to be formed, ponds had to be dug, retaining walls had to be built, materials that had to be used, colour schemes for the plantings -- in such detail that Charles even constructed a scale model of each and every little contour and each and every plant on the terrain-- of course in the exact colours of the real plants and trees once they had matured! Looking at the scale model today, fifteen years later, one might be forgiven to think that it is an arial photograph of the current property!
The project is now, fifteen years later, finished. Their dream garden exists in its full glory and splendour, and in its centre, stands their equally immaculate and stunningly constructed and decorated home, built in such a way that every feature of the garden may be enjoyed from every room.
And so, it is time to move on. Time to go start another project somewhere else. The look at each other and smile -- and I can already see the reflection of the ocean and that special beach light in their eyes...
**Boules de Neige/Snow Balls : Viorne obier Viburnum opulus
Famille : CaprifoliacéesOrigine : Asie, Europe
Période de floraison : mai, juin
Couleur des fleurs : blanc
Exposition : soleil, mi-ombre
Type de sol : riche en humus
Acidité du sol : neutre
Humidité du sol : normal
Utilisation : haie libre, fond de massif
Hauteur : 4 m
Type de plante : arbuste à fleurs
Type de végétation : vivace
Type de feuillage : caduc
Rusticité : rustique
Plantation, rempotage : printemps, automne
Méthode de multiplication : semis, bouturage
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Chateau Lalinde : The perfect venue for your event
