Chateau de la Chatonniere, France. The Garden of Abundance (established in 2000) is a leaf-shaped potager consisting of ornamental cabbage, onions, eggplant, tomatoes, celery and an assortment of herbs. It is just one of twelve different garden “scenes” at the Chateau. The other gardens include the Garden of Silence (a contemplative garden), Garden of Romance (with a Viking labyrinth design), Botanic Sciences Garden (for medicinal studies), Vale of Elegance (French Renaissance style), and the Gardens of Dance (with over 40,000 blooming daffodils in May), to name but a few. 

The castle (built centuries ago along the road taken by Joan of Arc during the Middle Ages) was a four-towered fortress with enclosed village, stables, church, and underground cellars. It was not until after the Hundred Years War that it was transformed into a country manor home by Mrs. Vacher de La Chaise, and to this day remains a privately held property. The current owner, Mme. Beatrice de Andia, began the garden transformations in 1990 with the assistance of a Head Gardener. The gardens, but not the home, are open to visitors. 

Frequently the verger was surrounded by a protecting wall, of more or less architectural pretense, with towers and accessories conforming to the style of the period, and decorative and utilitarian fountains, benches and seats were also common accessories.  Henri IV in an Old French Garden, illustration by Blanche McManus. Royal Palaces and Parks of France by Francis Miltoun (1910). 

Frequently the verger was surrounded by a protecting wall, of more or less architectural pretense, with towers and accessories conforming to the style of the period, and decorative and utilitarian fountains, benches and seats were also common accessories. 

Henri IV in an Old French Garden, illustration by Blanche McManus.

Royal Palaces and Parks of France by Francis Miltoun (1910). 

The Crack Garden, residential design, CMG Landscape Architecture, San Francisco, CA.

Ingredients: Jackhammer, soil amendments, plants that include vegetables, herbs, flowers, and weeds. Cost: $500
Photos: Tom Fox

A guerrilla gardener’s idea of a French potager is the cultivation of concrete.  Even with a small budget, a garden in a concrete jungle can be acquired.  

Using a jackhammer, rows were created in the concrete, just wide enough to drop in some soil amendments and small plants. The result: a low-maintenanace, minimalist garden which also serves as a food and flower source. Simple genius. 

Homegrown Harvest. Now you can manage your garden plot online! The smartgardener will 1) help you lay out a garden based upon how much space you have, 2) allow you to select plants (suitable to geographic area and season), 3) give you a custom garden plan based upon the information you provide, and 4) send you a weekly to do and reminder list. If you want to add your own notes or photos - you can do that too. Seeds can be ordered at the site from suppliers, so you don’t have to go hunting for seeds online. Community gardens can also set up a garden online, so I assume schools can do so also.  Nice graphics, well-oranized, with good step-by-step instructions. What a great idea. (No, I am not associated with this business in any way shape or form - I just thinks it’s an idea whose time has come, and those are always worth sharing.)

Homegrown Harvest.

Now you can manage your garden plot online! The smartgardener will 1) help you lay out a garden based upon how much space you have, 2) allow you to select plants (suitable to geographic area and season), 3) give you a custom garden plan based upon the information you provide, and 4) send you a weekly to do and reminder list. If you want to add your own notes or photos - you can do that too. Seeds can be ordered at the site from suppliers, so you don’t have to go hunting for seeds online. Community gardens can also set up a garden online, so I assume schools can do so also. 

Nice graphics, well-oranized, with good step-by-step instructions. What a great idea.

(No, I am not associated with this business in any way shape or form - I just thinks it’s an idea whose time has come, and those are always worth sharing.)