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Potager Garden Style: Combining Edible & Flowering Plants In the French Tradition

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If you are a gardener and have not yet investigated the kitchen garden, also known as a potager (in French, jardin potager), I invite you to walk with me a minute.

But, what is a potager (pronounced: puh ta zhay), you ask?

It is a garden where the beauty inspires you, and one designed to be close to the kitchen to bring vegetables for the cooking pot!

Combining both edible and flowering plants, a potager garden design is purposeful and utilitarian as seen in delightful kitchen beds of Europe, but laid out with aesthetic beauty in mind (inspired by lovely compositions of French gardens).

In her classic book on companion planting, Louise Riotte has taught generations of gardeners how to use the natural benefits of plants and flowers to protect and support each other. For someone who loves growing things, Carrots Love Tomatoes is so much fun to read. I have read it several times and always learn something new.

Potager Dreaming

Here are some garden design ideas to grab your imagination:

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“A traditional French kitchen garden ~ potager ~ mingles vegetables, fruits, flowers, and herbs to make the function of providing food for the table aesthetically pleasing. An urban potager uses every inch of available space, growing edibles and ornamentals on balconies, patios, porches and rooftops.” ~Cynthia Brown, the Smithsonian Gardens’ Education Specialist

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There are often rustic elements that add to the earthy beauty. Simple and yet elegant.

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(source)

The rot-resistant DIY cedar trellis for tomatoes is inventive and full of character.

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This is what a productive potager can be like in August with foresight and planning…take a look! Remember that by adding flowers into your plan, by this time of year you will have a non-stop cutting garden as well!

Potager Garden Style: Combining Edible & Flowering Plants In the French Tradition, garden planning, germinate, ideas, homestead, farm, sustainable, seeds, 4x8 boxes, herbs, flowers, annuals, perrenials, growing edibles, ornamentals, balconies, patios, porches, rooftops, kitchen beds of England, compositions of French, Smithsonian Garden education specialist, Cynthia Brown, rot-resistant cedar, aesthetic design, layout, plot, landscape, quotes, botanist, zinnia, nasturtiums, raised beds, trellises, espalier, lettuces, herbs, formal or rustic design, Monet, Matthew 19: 23, plan, DIY, homemaking, keeper at home,

 

Potager Garden Style: Combining Edible & Flowering Plants In the French Tradition, garden planning, germinate, ideas, homestead, farm, sustainable, seeds, 4x8 boxes, herbs, flowers, annuals, perrenials, growing edibles, ornamentals, balconies, patios, porches, rooftops, kitchen beds of England, compositions of French, Smithsonian Garden education specialist, Cynthia Brown, rot-resistant cedar, aesthetic design, layout, plot, landscape, quotes, botanist, zinnia, nasturtiums, raised beds, trellises, espalier, lettuces, herbs, formal or rustic design, Monet, Matthew 19: 23, plan, DIY, homemaking, keeper at home, produce, birdhouse with nasturtiums

 

Potager Garden Style: Combining Edible & Flowering Plants In the French Tradition, garden planning, ideas, homestead, farm, sustainable, seeds, 4x8 boxes, herbs, flowers, annuals, perrenials, growing edibles, ornamentals, balconies, patios, porches, rooftops, kitchen beds of England, compositions of French, Smithsonian Garden education specialist, Cynthia Brown, rot-resistant cedar, aesthetic design, layout, plot, landscape, quotes, botanist, zinnia, nasturtiums, raised beds, trellises, espalier, lettuces, herbs, formal or rustic design, Monet, Matthew 19: 23, plan, DIY, homemaking, keeper at home, rustic French kitchen garden, Connecticut, dinner plate dahlias,

 

Potager Garden Style: Combining Edible & Flowering Plants In the French Tradition, garden planning, germinate, ideas, homestead, farm, sustainable, seeds, 4x8 boxes, herbs, flowers, annuals, perrenials, growing edibles, ornamentals, balconies, patios, porches, rooftops, kitchen beds of England, compositions of French, Smithsonian Garden education specialist, Cynthia Brown, rot-resistant cedar, aesthetic design, layout, plot, landscape, quotes, botanist, zinnia, nasturtiums, raised beds, trellises, espalier, lettuces, herbs, formal or rustic design, Monet, Matthew 19: 23, plan, DIY, homemaking, keeper at home, rustic French kitchen garden, Connecticut, dinner plate dahlias,

Knowing that not all of you live in a part of the world where the weather is conducive to a garden, I still must encourage the rest who do. This is not a really large garden. Even one a quarter of this size can be very helpful to your family. Go ahead; dream and plan a little spot right outside your door…

A truly lovely, working garden doesn’t happen over night. It often takes years of dreaming, planning, and hard work. Gardening is, in essence, a creative journey, a miniature picture of God’s design in Creation.

“The love of gardening is a seed once sown that never dies.” ~Gertrude Jekyll (1843-1932) was an influential British horticulturist.

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Potager Garden Style: Combining Edible & Flowering Plants In the French Tradition, garden planning, germinate, ideas, homestead, farm, sustainable, seeds, 4x8 boxes, herbs, flowers, annuals, perrenials, growing edibles, ornamentals, balconies, patios, porches, rooftops, kitchen beds of England, compositions of French, Smithsonian Garden education specialist, Cynthia Brown, rot-resistant cedar, aesthetic design, layout, plot, landscape, quotes, botanist, zinnia, nasturtiums, raised beds, trellises, espalier, lettuces, herbs, formal or rustic design, Monet, Matthew 19: 23, plan, DIY, homemaking, keeper at home, rustic French kitchen garden, Connecticut, dinner plate dahlias,

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Thanks for reading!

Jacqueline
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Comments

    • Dear Debbie,
      Welcome, gardening friend! Oh, I wish I could claim these photos as my own :0 But, they all have links to the real owners for you to see how they do it if you wish. Thank you for visiting.

  2. Beautiful pictures! I can only dream of gardens like this…since living in TX we have had one (several!) gardening challenges after another. Even our raised beds produced so very little. But, the Lord keeps our dreams alive! I am planting seeds again right now to possibly have a harvest by November. :0)

    • Welcome, Lori!
      Have you ever seen Back To Eden? I think it might be a real blessing to you.

      Do let me know what you think 🙂

    • Ruth,
      Your potager is lovely, and quite mature now! Thank you for sharing it with me, new friend 🙂

  4. Jacqueline,

    You truly inspire with these photos! Aren’t they just stunning gardens? And so practical too! Do you have a Potager garden? When I do acquire my own piece of land some day, I look forward to having a beauty like these close to my house. Thank you for sharing.

    • Stacey,
      We do have a small potager. It is not nearly so pretty and rambling as the ones in these wonderful photos, though. Here is a peek for you: https://deeprootsathome.com/?p=17679 That was two years ago, so after the drought, it doesn’t look nearly a nice. Autumn should remedy that 🙂
      I am so glad you stopped by !!

    • It is my pleasure, Joanie 🙂 just remember, rome wasn’t built in a day. ‘Contented industry’ is how I think of it!

  6. I didn’t know there was a term for my dream garden but now I do. I have a small start on a potager, and I agree it will take time to develop. Our yard is mostly wooded so I plant where I can find sun. I’d rather have it outside my kitchen but I’ll take it wherever I can get it!

    I love the rustic elements in many of these gardens. I built a green bean tepee out of branches (you can see part of it at the bottom of this post http://healthyfrugalista.com/2012/06/vegetables-that-will-grow-in-the-shade/ ), but so far that’s as far as I’ve gone with the rustic structures. I have lots of ideas, just no time yet to create them. I liked the cucumbers growing up the ladder in your photo.

    • It is difficult with so much shade. I agree, Kristel. I will head over to take a look at your shade post 🙂 I hope the photos aren’t making anyone discontent with the Lord’s provisions, rather to give a vision for something achievable over time. Many blessings to you.

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