At Home in Brittany

Highs & Lows of Garden Maintenance in Brittany

When we decided to come to France we were determined to buy a house with some land, not something that many can afford in the UK. Not surprisingly; land is something there is plenty of  on this side of the Channel and most rural houses come with a good  size plot in which to develop your own version of the English estate in France.

The whole idea of being able to wander at leisure around your domain without any restrictions or  observation by close neighbours, presents the ideal home location for those wishing to get away from the hustle and bustle of modern life.  Furthest from the mind of many prospective purchasers is the consideration of just what is involved in maintaining these rolling square kilometres. This is particularly relevant if the purchaser is looking for the ideal haven in which to relax in their well earned retirement.

In the UK most people have their front lawn and that small area of privacy, the back  garden, where all the pent up emotions of work, travel and British life are unleashed by way of the flower borders, lawn and if your lucky; a small area for growing your own vegetables. This little haven keeps you busy on the few days of good weather and is easily maintained with the minimum of tools and equipment.  On this basis something a little bigger and more private would be ideal in our retirement and we could expand our gardening prowess and who knows perhaps a few chicken or a goat!

Strange Bugs in the Garden

At this time of year all sorts of bugs appear in the gardens of Brittany sending us scurrying for the reference books to look up the species. It is possibly due to the large number of shrubs and flowers in the garden.  In the UK we were used to seeing moths of various types, especially at dusk. In Brittany the months seem to be subject to a growth hormone which appears to double their size making them easily visible 24 hours a day. In our garden we get quite a variety but the most spectacular is the Spotted moths of which there are many, a picture of one specimen is shown here. I think this one was Platyprepia virginalis - Ranchman's Tiger Moth although I think exact identification is best left to the experts as the similarity between species can be deceptive. According to the reference books I consulted this moth should be in North America, must have been some strong winds lately! Just to make matters worse they apparently feed on herbaceous plants.

By now you will have determined that I am not an expert on bugs, but I do enjoy seeing the various types passing through the garden, passing being the operative word. Our house sits on a hill bordered on both sides by two streams flowing through ancient woodland. This seems to ensure a ready supply of dragon flies passing through the garden some of which are spectacular. It is difficult to comprehend that the colours of some of them can exist in nature. As a novice in the area of bugs it came as a surprise to me that dragon flies come in two main groups, those with four wings and those with two. Examples of both types passed through recently and I managed to get the photos seen here.

Until I came to France I had never seen a glow-worm but in the summer months they seem to love the granite at the front of the house. They absorb all

the heat from the wall during the day and glow vividly at night; they must have incredible solar panels! I have tried to take photos of them at night without success, but I am determined to persivere

 

 

 

Problems in the Gardens of Brittany

Nearly June and already the gardening is in full swing here in Brittany with everything, including the weeds springing into life. The lawn is growing far too rapidly and this week my beloved garden tractor decided it did not want to leave the shed. This had the signs of being a major disaster and already I could feel my back start to twinge at the thought of mowing the estate with my standby ‘Flymo’.

 

After an hour I had convinced myself the problem was something electrical and started tracing the current from the battery through the ignition to the starter motor. No immediate cause of the failure was apparent so depression started to set in and in desperation I decided to consult the internet. OK so how do I search for the answer? ‘Tractor will not start’? No, likely to get into the farming forums, how about ‘ride on mower electrical problem’. Bingo! loads of listings describing similar problems to my own, strange how so many Americans seem to spend so long on the net discussing their garden tractor problems!

 

Garden Time in Brittany

Despite the weather it is time to get the tools out and get stuck into the garden which is just about to spring into life. Snow, wind, rain and hail have all attempted to kill off the plants, trees and hedgerows, but amazingly the majority seem to have survived the ravages of a Brittany winter.

Bonfires are the order of the day but how many of you realise that the communes have fairly strict rules on when and where you can have a bonfire. It depends on the area you live in and you should ask the local Marie for details of the restrictions that apply in your commune. In general terms, bonfires are not allowed between the beginning of June and the end of September. It is also normal for communes to ban bonfires at weekends and before 0800am and after 0800pm weekdays.

A little known fact is there are also restrictions on the use of motorised garden power equipment on public holidays, Saturday afternoons and Sundays. Once again I would advise you check with the local Marie for details of restrictions in your area.

It is the weekend and you now know you cannot use the mower nor have a bonfire! But do not despair as there is plenty to do at this time of year. If you live in Brittany you will have ‘Hortensias’ or hydrangeas as we Brits call them, requiring urgent attention. There are several schools of thought on when you should prune and thin them out to encourage new growth. I must admit I have watched the locals and copied their approach. Take of the dead heads at the end of the year or as they dry up and then leave them until March. If you think we are through the frost period then start pruning the shoots, taking out dead wood and leaving those that are less than about three years old. Carefully extract the dead leaves from the heart of the plant to prevent the centre rotting. Leave between 8 to 12 good shoots per plant. If you prune too hard you will cause late blooming of the plant, practice over several years will give you a good understanding of the right level to apply.

Le Taupe Anglais

Having spent the day on your ride on mower trying to recreate the lawns of England in your French estate, you lie back on the sun bed and admire the acres of perfect turf. Whilst you relax, beneath the surface of the lawn an evil devil is designing his next underground network. Within hours of perfecting your bowling green this beast with web feet has recreated the Somme in your garden.

 

Yes the mole (le taupe) is back; despite all your best efforts he continues to wreak havoc in your garden. Initially I was fairly relaxed about the problem and having a wife who is very much into protecting the wildlife my efforts to deter these ‘lovely little things’ was considerate in the extreme.

 

I visited the local garden shop to seek advice and was shocked at range and variety of deterrents, traps, poisons and explosive devices available. Clearly the mole problem is big business in France.