Water Garden: Natural Ponds and Pools in the Garden
A successful water garden is designed as a living balance, not as a basin that must be constantly corrected. Volume, planting shelves, …
ExplorePlants, soil and the orchard
Understand your plants,
make informed garden choices
Citrus, soil, ponds and outdoor spaces: researched guides and observations from our farm in Nice, with their conditions and limits.
Four guide sections
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Orchard and Citrus: The Estate Garden Guide
An orchard of character is not only a collection of fruit trees. It is a rhythm of containers, sheltered walls, trained forms, …
ExploreGarden Care and Permaculture for a Garden of Character
A garden of character is maintained quietly. The visible elegance of a lawn, border, orchard or terrace depends on what happens below: …
ExploreOutdoor Garden Design for a Garden of Character
Outdoor design is the art of turning a garden into a sequence of usable rooms. A terrace becomes a threshold, a pergola …
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Plant Encyclopedia
Identify a plant and find its needs, calendar, pruning guidance and common mistakes in one practical profile.
90 published profiles
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Latest guides and advice
The newest editorial guides for designing, growing and caring for a garden of character.
How long before a lemon tree bears fruit?
A grafted lemon can flower in its first year; an ungrafted one may take ten. Citrus juvenility explained, plus what …
When to harvest olives: the fruit decides, not the calendar
Olive harvest timing is read on the fruit and its health, not on the calendar. Maturity index, UK realities, picking …
Can a Golden Barrel Cactus Stay Outdoors All Year?
In almost every British garden, no. Ours spend the entire year outdoors in open ground near Nice, but only because …
Growing Journal: An Organic Hemp (CBD) Crop, Start to Finish
In 2023 we grew organic hemp once, for a cosmetics professional's order. Here is the full journal — planting, a …
Gardening by the Moon: What the Studies Actually Say
We garden by the moon. Some studies report physiological responses, without demonstrating that a sowing calendar improves harvests. Here is …
Provence Gardens: Design Lessons for Your Own Garden
Inland Provence is not the Côte d'Azur with less sea. Moving away from the coast towards Marseille, Aix, Avignon and …
