Will I really be...

...the only DG subscriber in the whole of France?

I had a look at the Member list and, although there are 11 members, none of them are subscribers!

Quite a sobering thought

It will be your mission to make new friends in France and encourage them to sign up to DG !

By the way, your soon to be new house is a beautiful scene right out of a movie. I can't wait to see photos of the inside and more of the grounds.

This message was edited Feb 21, 2004 11:03 AM

I suppose it's because they don't want to speak English ou ils ne parlent pas anglais bien..?

Yes, HoneyGirl, I think I've already met one of the members and I'm bound to meet others with an interest in plants, so I'll be 'spreading the word'

Thanks. I feel rather the same, being 650 miles away and trying to remember what it's like and where everything is.
It's going to be so much fun getting to know it in May! One of the grandchildren lost the other one when they were playing there it's so rambling. I still think I'm dreaming...

True Evert - but there are plenty of Brits out there, so I'll be working on them. Et aussi touts les francais qui parlent bien l'anglais. The french don't in general seem to be as dotty about plants as the brits, but I have a sneaky suspicion some of them would like to be.
All those old roses must have come from somewhere after all...

ahhhh so what you are saying is there are closet gardeners in France?

Your mission is to bring them out of the closet and into the modern age of DG.

Philomel,

I didn't get to write on your original post with the pictures, but your new place looks like a dream. Congratulations on such a wonderful find.

We have a show here on tv with people in Britian looking at country houses for sale, and I dream about them also. Everything looks so old and wonderful.

there are so many famous French gardens and after all the Meideland roses (the ones that introduced Peace, as we call it) are from there, so I don't understand. Maybe we are too yakky for them, lol.
It seems to me the most serious gardeners per capita are the New Zealanders; what do you all think?

LOL Pond! I think perhaps they're more unawakened than closet
Anyway I'll be trying to wake a few up ;)

Thanks Kathy. Everyone asks if we got the idea from those shows, but I can honestly say not. It really came from always having enjoyed France - and my DH did lots of business over there years ago. We found everyone so friendly - one guy even lent us his chalet in the woods for a holiday. (Chalet may not describe the beautifully built place too well) Then the idea just grew out of a series of coincidences - so we 'went with the flow'

We'd better ask bootanall too, woodspirit. I always thought the Brits were the no 1 nuts for gardens, but am learning different!
Evert has a point with the language problem, but it's not just that. The French national idea of a garden is much more formal and more sparsley planted than ours. Not many perennials - lawns and one or two trees and shrubs plus a little bedding perhaps

So they won't dig out their entire lawns and plant anything that appeals to them helter-skelter? Gee, the French are a paradox, aren't they?

LOL woodspirit :D