Parc de Bagatelle

Parc de Bagatelle

It's part of the Bois de Bologne in Neuilly. You can get there directly by taking the #43 bus from Gare St. Lazare and then walk tout droit/straight ahead. Do not wander into the boulangerie on the corner for an ice cream as I did. The woman gave me the wrong directions. The Bagatelle is down on your left once you've entered the gardens. Really you can't miss it though I've managed to with all my previous visits to Paris. My big mistake.

There are gardens within gardens. I missed seeing the roses in full bloom and should have come earlier in June. They have many events throughout the summer. Just check www.paris.fr.

Empress Eugenie's kiosk set up on the hill overlooking the Roseraie.

Stop in the small boutique to the right of the entrance and buy a map for all of 20 centimes and in English too.

This reader was having nothing to do with the peacock and kept shooing it away. I should be so lucky as to have a peacock hanging about while I draw...

My favorite was a small rectangular garden off to the left of the Roseraie, called les jardins des Presentateurs with seasonal changing blooms and vegetation, even corn.

A series of pergolas...

Each one different in design and shape.

A pure visual delight

Just breathtaking

At 5 pm I had it all to myself. The gardens are open from 9:30 till 6:30

Jean-Claude Nicolas Forestier (1861-1930) is the landscape architect of this garden as well as the Champs de Mar near the Eiffel Tower. He was influenced by both the Impressionists and the Neoclassical.

 

There is an exhibition on of historic landscape drawings of all the gardens of Paris at the chateau within the park. I haven't even shown you the lily pond and so many other areas but I'll be returning. I'm completely enjoying all the nature Paris has to offer. Something I rarely did in New York.

Of course Marie-Antoinette had a hand in these gardens but that's another story. Are these white flowers pom-poms?

Ironically a woman on the 43 bus had a huge bouquet of these. I'm off to visit goats and cows tomorrow near Nantes at the ferme of fromager Pascale Beillevaire. More adventures to come!

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L'Art du Jardin

When I got back from Fontainebleau Saturday, I returned to l'Art du Jardin.

Experiencing the exhibit on press day was very much 'serenity now'. But I wanted to see how it felt with loads of people everywhere.

And there were loads. Plus a very long line outside waiting patiently. Yet it still felt peaceful and serene within.

Quite a few unusual structures were created to help compliment the Grand Palais' high ceilings.

The most interesting was this tree house. Again long lines waiting for a chance to climb to the top - just 4 people at a time plus the guide (who mentioned she was getting vertigo!).

The French are very good at waiting and evidently not afraid of heights. I'm neither of these so I didn't wait. There was another tall pillar-like column filled with intense scented plants and flowers and almost completely dark inside. That I experienced on Thursday fortunately. But lines were again long.

Back down on terra firma, beautiful roses...

Of all kinds and all for sale for your balcon or terrasse.

Or if you have room for a lilly pond...

Buy these!

If not you can make do with lilly pad earings.

Everyone was shooting like crazy.

And there were artists showing work that hadn't been there on Thursday.

French families were present en mass from the tiniest bebe to all ages. No dogs though ahem. Paris Chronicles said if your first name was a flower or plant you got in free!  There is to be a l'Art du Jardin next year, by the way, so plan accordingly.

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L'Art du Jardin

If you're in Paris don't miss the spectacular L'Art du Jardin at the Grand Palais until 3 June. Words can not describe the beauty or creativity. C'est comme ca.

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