Calling All Gardeners.. Vide Jardin

Oone of our neighbouring villages, Faye-la-Vineuse, is holding a Vide Jardin this Friday from 2-6pm

Faye-la-Vineuse from the air

"In the Middle Ages, Faye la Vineuse was a barony estate, inhabited by almost 11,000 people. This prosperous town numbered several parishes, was surrounded by high defensive walls, with moats, draw-bridges and four lookout towers.

During the wars of religion at the end of the 16^th century, Coligny’s armies pillaged and burned down the town; the stones were later used by Richelieu to erect his city and castle.

St George Collegiate church, a fortified building of Romanesque period style, was built in the 12^th century. It included a chancel, beautiful carved capitals and an unusually large, high vaulted 11^th century crypt, classified as a Historical Monument. Literally an underground chapel, complete with ambulatory, this crypt contains many details and particularities making it a true architectural treasure." 

The Vide Jardin is organised by l'association des Amis de la Collégiale to raise funds for the restoration of the Collégiale.

There promises to be some fantastic plants, a great atmosphere, and refreshments all in a lovely setting. If you have the opportunity why not come along and see for yourselves?

A long way to grow!

When we bought the house in October 2010 the only plant that the previous owner Marc left us was a weary looking cactus in an even wearier pot. (One of the Opuntia Genus I think. The most common plant in the optunia genus is the nopal opuntia, or prickly pear cactus. So my guess is it is a prickly pear)

It remained there, on the rear patio, all winter and by the spring was all but dead. However Elizabeth, the green fingered gardener, planted what remained in the new bed at the front of the house from where we had removed the Leylandii trees. We had both given it up for dead but in the summer we noticed it had actually grow a new leaf with two ears!!.

Remarkable for what we thought was a dead cactus... It  however still has a long long way to go to be the size of the Cacti (hedge) we encountered on our trip to Faye-la-Vineuse last month.

I am not sure the two are the same but it is nice to think that in ?? years ours could be this grand!!