France: 10 destinations in flower

© frekans1968 /CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Sometimes wild, sometimes pungent or heady, flowers lining fields and gardens on sunny days. Here are the best places to pick them, smell them or offer.

1 Lavender fields of Valensole (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence)

Rows of purple to infinity ... As long as you come in June or July at the height of flowering fields of Valensole offer a fairy vision never ceases to tour the world and symbolize eternal Provence. The Agriculture Valensole is deeply marked by the cultivation of lavender and lavender, used in the manufacture of soap, distilled by local beekeepers or perfume or fragrances. 
The feast of Lavender takes place every year in Valensole, the third Sunday in July ( www.valensole.fr ).

2 Roseraies Picardy (Somme, Oise)

"Remember it was about Picardie and roses found there ... All the lovers, we danced on roses this time ..." To the tune of Roses of Picardy, this timeless tube interpreted by the greatest of Sidney Bechet to Yves Montand through Frank Sinatra, Picardy gardens may be the perfect place to declare your love ... or revive. The tradition of the rose gardens in Picardy back to the Middle Ages, when the lords, tired of the war, preferred furbish their arms to turn to more courteous games. For your leisure, choose the month of June during which the roses bloom knows its acme.

Some notable rose gardens: the castle grounds Rambures ( www.chateaufort-rambures.com ), the rose garden of the Abbey of Chaalis ( www.chaalis.fr ), gardens Valloires ( www.jardinsdevalloires.com ), gardens Viels-Maisons ( www.jardins-vielsmaisons.net ).

3 Violette de Toulouse (Haute-Garonne)

The purple "Parma Toulouse" became the emblem of the Pink City, after reaching land in Toulouse in 1854 From the beginning of the twentieth century, very fashionable, it is the bread and butter of garden located north of the city, before declining in the 1960s it was finally brought up to date by Adrien Roucolle agronomist. Today, a few shops downtown are selling products made based on this small purplish: sweets, creams, perfumes, liquors ...

Three major addresses to the corona outdated amateurs: the Home of Violette ( www.lamaisondelaviolette.com ); the confection Treats ( www.regals.fr ); the Purple Pastels and shop ( www.violettesetpastels.fr ).

Violette, Haute-Garonne. Yvan

4 "fake" geranium Alsace

Certainly, it has the advantage of repelling insects, but overdose is not far: no Alsatian house well maintained without its pelargonium the window Called wrongly "geranium" (both are part of the family. Geraniaceae), a native South African plant was introduced in the fifteenth century, but is now produced locally. To see fine examples of flowered balconies, simply follow the wine route or direct you from Strasbourg to Kochersberg (west), the most fertile agricultural region of Alsace.

From Colmar off the road to reach Rouffach Eguisheim, charming village centered on his castle, collecting titles of flowering ( www.ot-eguisheim.fr ).

Pelargonium, Alsace. Kim Tairi

5 blue Thistles Pyrenees (Hautes-Pyrénées)

Who rubs picnic there, but the blue thistle Pyrenees knows how to forgive. Also called sea holly Bourgat of this thistle blooms between July and August in the meadows and rock massif Pyrenees. Endemic and non-protected species, easy to spot with its flower blue as intense as monochrome by Yves Klein, one can make dried bouquets that will make a beautiful lilac. Medicinal plant, this delicate treats edema and kidney stones.

The walking paths of Ossau and Lutour around Cauterets, provide gathering places accessible to all.

6 Hydrangeas Island Bréhat (Côtes d'Armor)

This small piece of land 3.5 km long and 1.5 km wide, known as the "Island of Flowers", real small nursery tunes Mediterranean romance feels full nose. Bordered by the Gulf Stream, the island enjoys a microclimate conducive, on its south side, to the flowering oleander, fig, mimosa and other agapanthus. But it is in Britain that you are: the many floral bouquets of hydrangeas along the stone houses and the very wild northern part of the island will constantly remind you.

Stars of Bréhat ( www.vedettesdebrehat.com ) provide crossing (5 minutes) throughout the year from the tip of the Arcouest.

Hydrangeas, Cotes d'Armor. Tjhief

7 Mimosa Noirmoutier (Vendée)

It's so good on the island of Noirmoutier that mimosas bloom here in February! The most beautiful of these yellow flowers grow on the wood of the chair, in the east of the island, where they were introduced in the mid nineteenth century . They mingle with oaks and pines in peaceful landscapes. "The island of mimosas", where the climate is reminiscent of the Mediterranean, has retained a certain authenticity despite a major tourism and its transformation into a resort.

You can reach the mainland via the Passage du Gois, a submersible road of 4.5 km, exposed at low tide.

8 Roseraie de Bagatelle (Paris)

"Darling, let's see if the rose ...". Ronsard Play the flirt and go in the rose garden of Bagatelle. You will discover 1200 varieties (10,000 feet) roses. The small castle that stands in the park was built in 1775 in just 64 days, following a bet between Marie Antoinette and her brother, the Comte d'Artois. The garden was designed in the Anglo-Chinese style in vogue at the time, with its bridges, waterfalls, cliffs and caves amid shimmering waters. Fountain of love entwined, gigantic trees, undergrowth of ferns, peacocks strutting amid the iris and other perennials, all prompted the dating game gardens.

For the season of flowers, concert programs and the date of the international competition for new roses that take place in the park http://parcsetjardins.equipement.paris.fr/parc_de_bagatelle

9 Rhododendrons Varengeville-sur-Mer (Seine-Maritime)

Le Bois des Moutiers is a vision conceived in the late nineteenth century by the couple realized that Mallet; sublimated by the artists who frequented as Cocteau; offered in heritage to the public. At the top of a high cliff of the Alabaster Coast unfold Feb. 1 ha of hilly English garden designed by landscape designer Gertrude Jekyll, surrounding the house drawn by Edwin Lutyens. Soil acidity has enabled a majestic flora from around the world thrive in a semi-wild harmony, half romantic: Himalayan rhododendrons, Turkish and Chinese azaleas, Japanese maples or eucryphias Chileans. This show is of course more colorful and fragrant when blooming in the month of June.

Not far from the house of Ango, Corinne Mallet gathered the largest collection of hydrangeas and hydrangeas in the world with 1400 species: Shamrock Garden. For more information, visit www.bois des moutiers.fr

10 Hollyhocks of the Ile de Ré (Charente-Maritime)

A bike ride on the island of Ré you will be remembered hollyhocks that bloom in out of the wind in the alleys of Saint-Martin d'Ars-en-Ré, and along the salt marshes . Their flower stalks, topped with pompoms or purple, white and pink blossoms are a favorite ornament of the islanders. They are found everywhere in the mild and sunny skies of the coast, with their high-cut and velvety foliage. Vivace, the "overseas rose" or "Jacob's staff" reseed spontaneously. It is also a dye plant: we once drew a purple pigment, symbolic color of moderation. An eminently Charente quality.

The short flowering period from June to September.

Roses Trémières, Charente-Maritime. Benoit Théodore .