The Botanical Tulip – La tulipe botannique

What, you may well ask, is a botanical tulip? A botanialc tulip is any species of tulip, whether wild or cultivated which is not from the Tulipa gesneriana species, that is, the domestic tulip. We planted a few tulipa tarda (or tulipa Dasystemon) bulbs in November and will definitely be planting more next year but …

Pink & Purple – Rose et mauve

We haven’t had much sun since we got back to India, but today dawned bright and sunny and our first tulips came out! Nous n’avons pas eu beaucoup de soleil depuis notre retour de l’Inde, mais aujourd’hui on s’est réveillé à une belle journée et nos premières tulipes sont sorties !

Home to Spring – De retour au printemps

We’re back in France after 6 weeks in Australia and India and it’s spring – although the temperatures in Blois are still below 5 at night and only 11 or 12° during the day. Nous voilà de retour en France après 6 semaines en Australie et en Inde et c’est le printemps même si la …

Postcard from Australia: Adelaide greenhouses – Serres d'Adelaïde

The Botanic Gardens in Adelaide are among the best we have ever seen. There are two main greenhouses – Palm House, an exquisite, painstakingly restored Victorian glasshouse imported from Bremen, Germany in 1875 and designed by German architect Gustav Runge. Today, it features a wonderful collection of plants from the island of Madagascar. The Bicentennial Conservatory below (front and …

Daffodils for sale – Jonquilles à vendre

As soon as the daffodils come out in the fields, there are lots of people on the market and along the side of the road selling daffodils. Not exactly legal of course. Dès que les jonquilles sont en fleur dans les champs, il y a plein de vendeurs qui apparaissent sur le marché et le long …

Silver Wattle – Mimosa

  Silver wattle or acacia dealbata, called mimosa in France, was imported into Europe in the 18th century from Tasmania in Australia. Its vibrant yellow is very much appreciated from January to March. Le mimosa ou acacia dealbata, appelé Silver Wattle en Australie, fut importer de la Tasmanie au 18ème siècle. Sa couleur jaune vif est …

La Rampe du Grain d'Or

Because Blois is built on a hill, it has lots of steps called degrés (degrees) connecting up the different levels. This is the last staircase to have been created in 1863, between Rue Sainte-Catherine and Rue du Grain d’Or. The council bought the land at the bottom of the street in 1854 and the locals …