tour de france 2010, Rivau.

Last update: 11.08.10 First posted: 11.08.10 by Nick in Blogs

Rivau castle has a long history, including supplying Joan of Arc with war horses, it’s near Chinon in the Loire and has been under restoration scince 1993. There was a devastating fire early this summer and much of the restored roof was destroyed.

We found the gardens quite stunning, not least for the potager style veg beds and orchard, for the informality, simplicity and un-cluttered design. The theme was fairy tale, the reality solid.

The courtyard contained two huge raised beds, bordered with woven chestnut. Pumpkins, chard, artichokes, kohl rabi, red sprouts, tuscan cale, all the IET favourites, were in evidence, alongside grapes, roses and many companion planted flowers. The planting was not traditional, one bed was white roses interplanted with grasses, an effect that in the UK would have probably been slated as a weed patch, it worked.

Also,

A brilliant flowerpot sculpture garden, promptiong thoughts of festival kids’ activity.

A egg shaped bird cage, not so hot in white i thought, but a brilliantt shape and scale.

Hives, and a great bee display,

Giant wellies!

Rapunzel tower complete with plated rope,

A hard to get lost in maze

A fairy garden complete with, not naff, gnomes, exceptionelle!

and an orchard of apple, almond, Medlar (monkeys bum!) and low branching cherry trees, interesting. Will try that one in Tod.

We realy couldnt fault this place, beautiful, peaceful, inspiring.

And somehow the devastated roofs in skeletal black gave a reality, life to the scene, as if to say “if you cut me, do i not bleed? therefore i am real, not merely a fairy tale”.

We loved these steel pot holders, easily copied.

veg with companion planting

grasses

fire damaged roof

flowerpot cockrell


This one looked like someone i know!!!!


egg hen run


Neat wording on this sign!

Enchanted chard!

A Bientot!….Tomorrow Villandry…