Blooming Blossoms from France Bring a Romantic Flair to Any Backyard Garden
France, often referred to as the land of love, has a deep-rooted connection with flowers and gardens that dates back centuries. One of the most romantic countries in the world, France has embraced various flowers as symbols of love and affection.
Roses, for instance, hold a special place in French culture. Over the centuries, roses have been synonymous with love. Today, there are numerous types of roses available, including tea, floribunda, miniature, hybrid, heirloom, and more. Empress Josephine of France, known for her passion for horticulture, maintained a glorious rose garden with around 250 species.
Another romantic flower in France is the water lily. With soft hues and a symmetrical petal arrangement, these flowers have a soothing presence. The water lily has been memorialized in many great artworks, most famously by Oscar Claude Monet, the founder of French impressionist painting. Monet had a water garden at his home filled with water lilies, which he depicted in an entire series of 250 oil paintings. The water lilies he cultivated were hardy hybrid water lilies, plants introduced at the World's Fair in Paris in 1889.
Lavender, with its showy purple spikes and intoxicating scent, is another very romantic plant in France. There are several types of lavender, including Spanish, French, hybrid, and Lavandin, with numerous cultivars available. A French country garden theme, with its lavender fields, is a way to show love and deep affection.
The potager, the French kitchen garden, is another aspect of French garden culture that has a romantic appeal. Historically, the potager was developed as a garden dedicated to growing vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers for the kitchen. Although no single individual is credited with its creation, the potager has become a classic French garden design, often formal or informal, with the informal version being very popular today, a riot of edible and blooming plants that is both wild and soothing.
The common lilac, with its strong yet titillatingly pleasant aroma, was a popular selection amongst French nurseries and eventually became almost synonymous with French garden culture. Today, French hybrid lilacs are among the finest in the world, coming in white, pink, purple, and lavender.
Lastly, it's worth mentioning that the national flower of France is the fleur-de-lis, commonly known as the iris. However, it's the romantic flowers like roses, water lilies, lavender, and lilacs that truly embody the spirit of love and romance in France.
