A Potager Garden
The Potager garden was originally designed by medieval French monks, but its hay day was in the 16Cth. When no french garden would be complete with out one. A potager is an ornamental vegetable, fruit and herb garden. With symmetrical and geometric patterned flower beds, intersected by narrow paths. The fruit and vegetables are as ornamental as possible but also edible and planted in groups and in decretive patterns.
Here are some varieties to get you started on the design of your potager.
Laurus nobilis as a clipped hedge.
Laurus nobilis- bay, in fact a large evergreen tree. But it can be chipped and trained into many topiary shapes from, cones, squares and lolly-pops. These trimmed trees will add structure to your Potager garden even in the winter months. You can add an extra dimension by training your lolly-pop standards to have twisted trunks. The leaves are used to flavour sauces and meat dishes particularly in Italian cookery. A must to define the axis’s of your design.
Rosmarinus officinallis ‘Miss Jessopp’s Upright’
Rosmarinus officinallis ‘Miss Jessopp’s Upright’: although Rosemary has in fact been re-classified as a Salvia, I think it is still best known as Rosmarinus and all nurseries will know what you are asking for. This is a lovely variety of the evergreen shrub with a small compact habit and upright stems, making it perfect as a low hedge to edge the vegetable beds of the Potager. The aromatic leaves are used in both savory and sweet dishes and to scent clothes draws. The flowers are also edible.
Thymus serphyllum ‘Russetings’
Thymus serphllum ‘Russetings’ : A wonderful evergreen low creeping thyme, which will grow in the cracks of the paths or run around under standards like gooseberries and bay trees. With a mass of pretty small purple flowers much loved by insects from mid summer. It has the added advantage of being a mainstay of the culinary herbs being just widely in the recipes of many cuisines.
Apple saturn ‘Stepover’
Apple Saturn ‘Stepover’ : grown on the most dwarfing stock, M27, these apples have been developed to grow low to the ground almost like a horizontal cordon, so you can step over them as the name suggests. A wonderful talking point to edge the main path. This variety is self-fertile, has good disease resistance and is a superb apple, with a strong flavour and a crisp flesh which is very juicy. Pick October and keeps to January. Surely a must for you Potager.
Rainbow chard cut & come again
Rainbow Chard: This is a wonderful vegetable which can be harvested for many months and particularly comes into it’s own in the autumn and winter when it has it’s main cropping season, just cut the stems and remove the tougher leaves but eat both stem and leaf. But it’s ornamental merit is what is attractive for the potager. It has vivid stems in white, cream, pink, red, orange and yellow. A stunning vegetable, that tastes good to.
Cynara scolymus ‘Gros Vert de Leon’-Globe artichoke
Cynara scolymus ‘Grosvert de Lean’: This is a statuesque hardy variety of Globe Artichoke from France. It produces a great sword of sliver grey leaves and a a tall flower pick up to 2m tall. With tight round green buds which are very succulent and have a knock out taste are produced in late summer. If you miss the odd one or two in your harvest then they will open to reveal their beautiful blue thistle like flowers. Insects will love the flowers and birds the seeds.
A potager garden
Top tips: The site for your Potager should be in full sun if possible a little shade from the odd tree over part of it is probably ok. But don’t forget it is all about symmetry so you want the same key plants to mirror in different parts of the garden then having the same light conditions through out will help. Also don’t forget that some flowers are also edible and this can increase the amount of colour in your potager garden. Marigold, Borage, violas and natstershams to name a few.
The mixed planting of a Potager garden
I hope I have inspired you to have a go at creating your own Potager, if you don’t feel confident having a go your self, then I know just the woman who can help you, just give me Emily a ring on 01273 470753.
Don’t forget, in a Potage Garden the edibles are the stars not ornamental flowers.