La Fromagerie: Gorgeous but unruly, just as we like it

13 May 2019

Friend C is in residence at La Fromagerie as I type, and has sent through some images for our barn-starved eyes to feast upon...

It all looks beautiful, albeit a trifle unruly, just as we like it.

It’s always a tricky balance to achieve: we want Nature to have her way, yet not run so rampant as to restrict our access to the margins of the property. John, our English paysagiste always shakes his head about the unfettered growth he has to deal with at each visit - he spends an inordinate amount of time clearing blades and replacing strimmer cord, and that’s not to mention the sheer volume of biomass to dispose of when he’s done.

And then there’s les voisins, who mutter darkly about les serpents when the grass gets out of hand...

We have, over the years, come to terms with the idea that, like it or not, we have to cut back the so-called 'meadows' (les prés) at least twice a year, if we are to avoid an impenetrable thicket. The grass grows to hip height and forms basal clumps if left alone, and John has often said that the growth at La Fromagerie outstrips that of the other properties he maintains. The local council comes by twice a year to trim the roads verges and hedgerows, and it makes some sense to take our cues from them.

So, the ‘meadows’ now get cut back twice a year, and the ‘paths’ every month in the growing season.
The hope is that, with this schedule, wild flowers will get a chance to flourish without being overwhelmed, while the small fauna in the ‘meadows’ will enjoy mostly undisturbed refuge.

Now that John is temporarily out of action following an nasty accident with a chain saw, we are forced to bring in another, this time local paysagiste.

Fingers crossed the new guy Guillaume will ‘get’ what we are trying to achieve, and won’t attempt to tame and manicure our little wild patch of heaven.

Wild and woolly

Planted last August, hence the Gothic weed mat backdrop

Panoramic view from Juliette balcony

In anticipation of Guillaume's arrival, friend C and I discussed the best access for the ride-on mower. (John doggedly used a strimmer for years, only venturing onto the property on his ride-on in the last nine months.) Access to the upper garden/orchard area is not a challenge - the bank is low alongside the porch - but access to the lower garden needed some thought.

Access from the road at this point was possible when we bought La Fromagerie, but our perimeter plantings deny it now

Back to the drawing board...

Not to scale and woefully inaccurate, but sketched from memory, and at speed

In the end, removal of the last metre or so of the grapevine, at the lower end next to the hazelnut and pear/quince, seemed the most obvious and simplest option. C set about making it happen and sent through before and after shots.

Before (note metal drum with compost to the right of the photographer's shadow)

After - the hazelnut and pear/quince have been trimmed back and the last vine support post and wire have been removed, leaving a vine tendril floating in the breeze

Next, it was a question of relocating the metal drum which was tucked beneath the hazelnut tree and which has been our informal compost heap to date. A new, probably temporary home was discussed and agreed: near Raymond's boundary fence.

Insect hotel and new friend, compost

All ready and poised to supervise and guide Guillaume...C found himself at the agreed time stranded by the capricious Renault in Objat :( Nevertheless, Guillaume came and went in a flash, cut way more than we wanted, and left behind a desolate landscape featuring decapitated mole hills and scalped grass. Points awarded for reliability and efficiency, though. Oh and bonus points for removing the vegetation.

(Stop press: John has announced his impending retirement, so we are in the market for a regular paysagiste...perhaps Guillaume will get the gig.)