Plants for Garden in the French Pyrenees

[donut_donut]

Hi! I'm writing a novel that takes place in the French Pyrenees (modern day), and I'm trying to figure out what plants to place in this fictional garden.

More info:
The novel takes place at a villa owned by a middle-aged bohemian lady who moved there from Paris maybe a decade ago. Gardening is her hobby. In the back of the house is a potager (vegetable garden), and I've got that covered. But the front of the house has a flower garden, and I don't know so much about that.

It doesn't need to be plants that are native to the region, but it has to be plausible that they would be available and could thrive there. It's summertime (late July-August), and I would like there to be flowers, because we often see her pruning the old blooms. I assume rose bushes would work, but I would love some other options to work with. I've been picturing something like hydrangeas or rhodedendrons, but I don't know how common they are in this environment.

Some kind of ornamental tree would also be nice, for a character cry under. A flowering tree or large bush would be nice but not necessary.

She has somewhat offbeat tastes, so anything off the beaten track would be great, but it has to make sense for the climate.

Thank you!

Comments

[donut_donut]

Oh thank you, this is all very helpful! Creepers are a good idea.

>> In general a cooler color scheme of white, pinks, blue, and soft purples are traditional in French gardens.

Given that my character doesn't view herself as a traditionalist, is there a different color palate she might choose? Maybe brighter pinks or something?

[full_metal_ox]

“Non-traditionalist” is rather vague; what sort of aesthetics does her taste run to?

[donut_donut]

Well, the inside of the villa features a lot of flea market finds: mismatched crockery, stacks of ancient magazines, a tortoise shell, a taxidermied stoat... Bohemian eccentric?

She wants her garden to be attractive and colorful, but she doesn't mind if the neighbors tut about it.

[full_metal_ox]

Any witchy pretensions or reputation?

[donut_donut]

No, she was a famously slutty writer in her younger days, but not witchy.

[full_metal_ox]

Ah…in Colette/Anais Nin territory. Gotcha.

[donut_donut]

Exactly!

[donut_donut]

Actually, along this line... Could you suggest any sexually suggestive flowers? Like phallic shaped or something? I could see her enjoying that (and shocking her neighbors).

[full_metal_ox]

France is the home of topless beaches, pissing statues, color names like “baby shit”, and perfumes with deliberate genital, carrion, and excretory notes; I’m not sure how scandalized French countryfolk would be by naughty-bit-shaped produce, or even what form a French equivalent of Ken and Karen from the HOA might take (since I get the impression you really want her to épater les bourgeois.)

[donut_donut]

There's a reason that phrase exists in French! Believe it or not, some French people can be quite conservative.

I've lived in France for many years, so I do have some idea what I'm talking about. I just don't know anything about flowers.

[full_metal_ox]

Let’s see—although this might be more the realm of the potager, consider Pleurotus_eryngii, which your heroine would know as pleurote du panicault, or perhaps argouane, bérigoule or girboulot:

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleurotus_eryngii

In English, it’s known variously as king oyster mushroom, king trumpet mushroom, French horn mushroom, eryngi, king brown mushroom, boletus of the steppes, trumpet royale, or aliʻi oyster—-and can look downright salacious when the cap is young and small:

[donut_donut]

Haha those are quite suggestive.

[full_metal_ox]

And have a reputation as aphrodisiacs because of course they do.

(I used to refer to the ones I bought at the local Asian grocery as Dongs of the Forest.)

[harpers_child]

"Traditional" here equals formal. Formal french gardens are a whole things in and of themselves. (Think Versailles.) If your character isn't worried about the rules, then she can grow whatever colors she likes. Yellow and orange french marigolds are a thing for example.

You can probably find books on both formal French gardens and country style French gardens at your local library. If you know what specific town she's in, you can very likely find a list of recommended plants. (In the US this is agriculture extension services attached to a university. I don't know what they are in France.)