More Spring garden stories from the Potager du Roi, Versailles.
I didn’t inherit my mother's green thumb but who doesn't love PEONIES?
These are from a fleurist in Versailles, Arbre à Pivoines on 19, rue Hoche.
The past weekend was the annual 'Esprit Jardins' at the Potager du Roi in Versailles
70-80 venders selling plants, tools, landscaping design, garden antiques and jam
Simply lush and the perfect day with temperatures in the high 70s. Sunhats and sunglasses required.
A shop on the square was selling proper 17th century outfits though everyone was mostly wearing jeans.
Endless jars of jams in unusual flavors like pears with chocolate and lemon Cointreau. I am a jam fan since moving to France, though I mostly browse…*Tuesdays, Thursdays & Saturday morning you can buy fresh organic produce fom their gardens.
Rose 🌹 soaps along with rose syrups, scents & jam.
After walking around the huge square visiting tents You must go into the kitchen gardens.
Designed and constructed by Jean-Baptiste La Quintinie from 1678-1683 at the request of Louis XIV. The 22 acres was originally a swamp completely unsuitable to be a kitchen garden. Drained and with fresh soil brought in, La Quintinie produced: 50 varieties of pears
20 varieties of apples
16 types of lettuce.
Parsley, rocket, mint, tarragon & violets were grown for the king's salad. He developed ingenious methods for producing fruits out-of-season with sunken gardens.
A parapet walk was created, so the king and his entourage could survey the team of 30 gardeners at work.
RER C Train takes you back from Versailles -> Notre Dame-St Michel in a mere 25 minutes. Yesterday was glorious. Everyone was out enjoying the good weather & eating ice creams🍦 Yours truly included (pistachio).
Thank you for reading Parisbreakfast.
Love, love, love the peonies....both painted and real!
ReplyDeleteThank you Jeanette!
DeletePeonies are addictive. I must get some more to paint.
Carol, I also love peonies, and have had great fun looking at your recent posts this evening, as I return from my brief blogland break.
ReplyDeleteYour posts are superb! xo
Here's a link from a while back about the restoration of the King's kitchen garden. The minute I started reading your post, I remembered that GIVENCHY had something to do with it.
ReplyDeleteThank you Maria Isabel for the terrific link to the Givenchy garden story!
DeleteLove your peony painting! I tried to grow them here in LA, but they are not like me, they prefer colder climates! :( What an absolutely gorgeous day! Glad you enjoyed it in the gardens.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your beautiful blog! Those flowers, the place, the photos.
ReplyDeleteThe rose soap is making me giddy:) With all the peonies!♥Mine are still buried in snow but it's pouring so soon:)
ReplyDeleteI loved too, but always I visit your blog and fascinates me all your paintings, photographs. Thank you, Love, nia
ReplyDeleteHow lovely! I would buy one of everything if I was there!
ReplyDeleteOh, Carol, food for the soul! A thousand thankyous, xo K
ReplyDeleteI love peonies - my grandfather grew them in the midwest - & they always remind me of home. I really need one of those wastebaskets and some jam - I'm intrigued by some of those flavors. Thank you for brightening my day.
ReplyDeleteQuite a pastiche, Carol :)
ReplyDeleteI wish I was there, it's still wintry here.
Spring has arrived lime a lion here, overwhelming us all.
DeleteWhat a lovely post, wish I could pop off to a lovely market garden and see stalls like this. Thanks for sharing it with us :)
ReplyDeleteThose peonies are knocking my socks off! I'm so very ready for spring!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much this foto of your watercolor, inspired by my peonies.
ReplyDeleteIt's beautiful.
Those peonies are gorgeous <3 I miss that square with cherry blossom trees near Notre Dame. If I had a garden I would have been buying many things at Espirit Jardin...including strawberry plants :-)
ReplyDeleteXx
Solli