Cottage & Countryside Living
Bonjour!
This week's newsletter is coming a few days late as we were trying to wrap up some projects as I will be gone for the week with my tour group. Although it’s back to Spring like temps, it actually felt like summer here this past week in Normandy with temps in the high 70's. So we spent most of the week outside working on projects that needed attention. We finally got the last fallen tree remnants into the dead hedge with the help of our driveway guy and his digger. As a bonus he grabbed the final layer of gravel for the driveway too so we got 2 more things off the checklist done.
Next was getting all dirt areas seeded and getting the current grass mowed. We are learning how quickly the prairie grass grows here so it's about every 8-10 days we need to give a quick mow. We got this mower from Greenworks as we are trying to be eco-friendly with our tools & equipment.
My work on the backside of the cottage continued as well. Because we are on a hill water tends to swoop down to the back of the house. So we decided to create a raised bed and a DIY french drain. I ordered this metal edging which got sank into the existing soil and will get backfilled. In front I dug a narrow trench and filled it with rocks & stones that I found from around the property. Now that gives a double barrier before hitting the cottage itself. In the raised bed we are planting some arborvitae and viburnum shrubs with a wisteria in the center that will get trained to create a canopy over the raised bed. I'm also sowing some forget me not seeds as a ground cover here for a pop of color.
Finally we added some annuals to the main garden bed & finished off the lavender hedge with the remaining plants.
It's starting to look really good...like a proper cottage garden. I cannot wait til things start to bloom for the summer. Of course I will tweak and add as we go along but the changes we have done have made such a difference in creating a home away from home for our guests to come.
Speaking of guests.... here's the link for our cottage. As you know we are renovating the inside so new pictures are coming soon!
As for the renovation, the window is getting installed this week! Although I will be away with my tour group, the hubby (the pro-temp project manager) has the punch list of things that need to be finished while I am away. Excited to finally wrap this up and get things ready for us to close on the new house & move in!
Hope you all have a wonderful week ahead.
À bientôt!
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Things that caught my eye this past week
This week was May Day here in France and it's the fête du muguet. Jeannie wrote a great article about this special tradition here in France. I just ordered 20 pips for the new house and will most likely order a bunch more as I plan to have an area dedicated for this beautiful flower for the farm. And of course Diptyque carries a Muguet candle… it's one of my favorites.
New month, New cheeses to try! Know your cheeses and their seasons: which to eat in France in May If you follow me in Rhode Island, check out Rind Cheese Shop in Barrington. He's got an amazing selection of French cheese, butter and accouterments.
One of the plants I am super excited about that we planted this weekend was wisteria. Here's A foolproof guide to growing wisteria via a master gardener.
‘Meadowscaping': The people turning their lawns into meadows. We are actually doing this at the cottage, not that there isn't a big enough meadow but in our area we are adding pollinators like flax, yarrow and poppy.
7 Easy Ways to Make Your Basil (and Other Herbs) Last So Much Longer
To dupe or not to dupe? I found an amazing dupe for the Sezane “must have” trench coat on Amazon. Sleeves run a bit short but you want to cuff them to show of the cool lining anyways. Here's the link. But if you want the original, here's that link. If you order one of these, let me know your thoughts!
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