11 May 2013

Sur le mur...

...il y avait des glycines... That's an old Serge Lama song from the 1970s. Glycines are the French name for wisteria. We planted one a few years ago on the back wall of our house, and so far this year it is holding in place. Last year we had a wind and rain storm and the whole plant fell to earth. So we trimmed it and put it back up. It worked.


Right now the wisteria all around the Saint-Aignan area is blooming and beautiful. Yesterday afternoon I needed to go up to Contres, 10 or 12 miles north, and I enjoyed seeing many glycines in bloom along the road on houses, walls, and fences.


You might get the impression from theses pictures that the weather is warm and sunny. It is not. These three days, May 11, 12, and 13, are called « les saints de glace » in France — the days of "the saints of ice." On the weather forecasts, the presenters are telling us to expect chilly weather this weekend, and beyond. I had to turn the heat on yesterday morning, and I turned it on again a few minutes ago.


You can hear Serge Lama's classic song Les Glycines here...

The good news is that, according to the legend, it will supposedly be safe to plant tender new seedlings — tomatoes, etc. — outside in the garden this week, because the last danger of frost passes when the saints de glace are behind us. The last danger of chilly rain, however, never passes. That's a mixed blessing.

8 comments:

  1. Fortunately you don't have a pool and you're safe. So you won't 'glisser dans la piscine'.

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  2. In the UK, Walt, the wisteria is not a common plant and you tend to see it only on big, posh houses... but in France people grow it all over the place and its flowers are, to me, one of the "colours" of France... personally, I think it is a wonderful plant... all that purple rain falling!!

    Niall & Antoinette, in their most recent post, have a picture of an old stone stairway at Chambon with a "Whisty" rambling all the way down one side... a beautiful sight.

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  3. It's very pretty and I can see why you would out it back!

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  4. France and its flowers! Different from english gardens but beautiful as well. (Thank you for the Serge Lama song. I haven't heard it in ages but I still remember it).

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  5. I remember seeing it bloom in April of 2001 in the Dordogne. Love it, our wisteria bloomed a month ago.

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  6. That must smell wonderful!
    Throwing all caution to the wind, I planted my tomatoes today.

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  7. Gorgeous! I'm glad it came back so healthy after it's "fall".

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