Cottage Garden

I flew via Stansted yesterday to Bergerac.   At the check in I wasn't asked about my hand luggage.   I went to security with hand luggage and handbag to be told that only one item is allowed.   When I mentioned that the law had changed the officious little so and so told me not to listen to everything I heard.   I put handbag in with the case and tried to go through security but he made me weigh the case which I have never been asked to do before.   He said that there would always be only 1 piece of hand luggage as this was a low cost airport.   Not heard that one before.   My bag came to over 10 kg as my handbag was also in there.   He told me to go away and check the case in which I wasn't going to do.   I tried very hard to get the weight down by putting things into my coat pockets and stuffing magazines up my jumper.   It was quite amusing if I hadn't been so cross.  I tried again with a different security person even though the weight was still over.   She let it through at 11.5 kg.   When I got to the scanner I had to take everything out of the pockets and the magazines were put into one of their trays.   I was then let through.   Of course, when you get through to the other side you then can have as many bags as you like and nobody complains.   It's all very futile and to me the change in law has made things a lot worse not better.   Certainly yesterday the security people were being very strict with the size and weight of your hand luggage.

You shouldn't grow anything from the same family of tomatoes such as potatoes or aubergines in the same bed the following year.  One of the reasons for rotating crops is to ensure that the soil isn't harbouring diseases for the next crop.   If you rotate your crops every 3 years then you are employing good husbandry and reduce the chance of disease.   However, my understanding is that tomato blight spores only survive for about 3 weeks and as Tony says they are blown in with the wind and the rain. Another way to grow tomatoes with a lot less risk of getting blight is to grow them under cover.   I never experienced this when I grew tomatoes in a polytunnel.

We travelled back from England on Friday with meat and dairy produce.   There wasn't any kind of notice when we landed to say that we couldn't bring meat or dairy produce into France and no disinfectant for cars to drive through.

There is also the last plant sale of the year in this area on Sunday 22nd.   It is held by Salicaire at Saint Nicholas de la Grave which is near Moissac.   It's probably about an hour's drive for you foxyloxy25.   I've bought some good plants there and it's quite a nice setting with the sale being held in the centre of the town.

I went to Neuvic yesterday and came home with quite a few plants.   Nothing unusual particularly but new to me.   There were about 25 exhibitors so not a huge number and probably less than last year but it was OK.   I also stopped at the one in Brande on the way home.   Although I bought a few plants this one was a bit disappointing in that there weren't that many exhibitors, not as many as last year. This is the time of year for me when I have visions of what the garden will look like in the spring and summer.   I always buy lots of bulbs and expect the garden to look brilliant in spring.   Somehow bulbs never seem to go very far even if I plant them in large drifts.   I am also starting to split plants up for regeneration or dig them up and move them because I didn't like them where they were.   Lots of home made compost also gets put onto the beds and the plants love it.   Deb - I have sent you an email.  Tony F - I belong to the ACFAA which is based in Eymet.   I think that might be the group you are talking about.   Their website is www.acfaa.org where you can find information about each of the clubs. Ab - Thanks for letting me know about the club in Jumilhac but to be honest I think that might be a bit far even for me.   I think it would take me nearly 2 hours to get there.   Maybe if I'm visiting our friends who live close by I might just visit. If anyone wants to discuss anything though please email me.

There is also a plant fayre at Neuvic sur Isle today in the grounds of the chateau.   You have to pay an entrance fee but it also allows you to walk around the botanical garden.   It's west of Perigueux just off the A89.   Thanks for your replies.   I'm off to the above now but will reply to them tomorrow.

That's definitely a sempervivum.   Once the flowers have finished then that rosette will die but you have lots more that will carry on growing and probably some will flower next year.

I used to sell this plant.   That is definitely a Mirabilis jalapa, as someone said sometimes called 4 o'clock plant or Marvel of Peru.   It has a lovely scent and comes in yellow, pink, white and various blotchy versions of those colours.   The black root is a tuber and overwinters like that.   It is not reliably hardy but if planted deep enough will survive the winter or the seed may germinate the next year.

Look for fuchsias that are labelled rustique.   There are hundreds of varieties registered that are hardy but there is very little choice here compared to England.  I have about a dozen but most came with me when I moved. Don't be tempted to plant them in full sun as they don't like the heat.   Best to put them in semi shade if you can.   Good luck.

Thanks Clair.   I do know of this society and belong to one in Aquitaine.   I had hoped that there might be someone like minded who lived nearby but never mind.   I'll carry on talking to the flowers.

Are there any plantaholics like me out there in the south west of France?   I live just south of Bergerac, have a lovely garden, although not huge, a very good collection of plants but I don't meet many people who are as mad about horticulture as I am.   In England there were many groups that got together to talk about certain types of plants e.g. Alpine Society, Fuchsia Society, Hardy Plant Society but I haven't heard of any here.   If anyone is interested in discussing plants in general or something more specific I'd like to hear from you.