We opened our garden to visitors last week-end.

On Saturday it was Monmouthshire Eco Open Doors.  We were one of a number of properties throughout Monmouthshire (although we are strictly speaking just in Powys) whose owners invited visitors to come and see and discuss our ‘eco features’ as one visitor described them.  In our case our eco features include a micro hydro on our stream, natural swimming pond, solar thermal domestic water heating, wood fuel heating and cooking, air to air heat source pump and our organic garden.

On Sunday it was our final opening of 2015 for the National Garden Scheme.  I don’t need to describe how that works I’m sure.

We had lovely people on both days and many interesting conversations.  One visit or was telling me how much she liked the garden and particularly the ‘potager’.  I asked her to describe to me which area she meant as it’s not a label/description that we use.  Having checked the definition in the Oxford English Dictionary ‘from the 17th century French ‘a garden providing vegetables for the pot’ I couldn’t disagree with her.  However, we grow ‘vegetables for the pot’ pretty much throughout the garden but you wouldn’t describe it all as a ‘potager’.

Elsewhere I came across another definition ‘a traditional kitchen garden’.  I grow lots of flowers in this area of the garden which many gardeners would argue isn’t traditional.  So I don’t know.  Just now it looks nice anyway particularly as my favourite Plum Tart gladiolas are just starting to flower.

Here are some recent photos.  Decide for yourself if you think it’s a ‘potager’.

Plum tart in the ‘potager’

another view of Plum Tart with cosmos, monarda, marjoram,etc

cutting bed in the ‘potager’

kale and runner beans

onion Centurion

nasturtiums and pea shoots

crimson flowered broad beans (saving the seed)

rudbeckia Herbstsonne

dahlia Happy Halloween

calendula, cosmos and courgettes

Emily on guard

And the gorgeous glad…

Plum tart