French design in London

Who would have thought a Luberon French designer’s influence would reach as far as Regent’s Park in London?

I have been walking back and forth across Regent’s Park almost daily this past week as I plod between Primrose Hill and our Christmas Fare venue in Baron’s Court.

It’s a pleasant two hour walk. Well, the first hour and a bit are beyond pleasant as I link Regent’s Park, Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens.

But the best bit is definitely the flower borders in the first park.

As you can see by the frost on the ground, this is winter. But the cypress trees that act as little exclamation marks in the border are bright and cheery. And flat topped.

Nicole de Vesian, the French designer who created on of my favourite Luberon gardens, La Louve, planted these same trees.

But instead of the having pointy tops, she cut the leader and left them flat.   But the reason was less artistic than practical; she bought a job lot of these mediterranean trees cheaply because they were all frost blasted and had burnt leaves. Her solution was to grab a pair of loppers and cut back the bad bits. And the rest is history.

And don’t they look handsome?   In our part of France they won’t serve the same design purpose so I’m reluctant to plant them.   For us, in Protestant Ardeche, each tree planted symbolises a grave of a French person who was forbidden a headstone as they weren’t Catholic.   And forbidden from being buried in consecrated ground.   So you see little groups of these beautiful trees dotted about the countryside.

Our neighbour Jean Daniel has a grove. We don’t.   I could make a post modern statement and plant my very own grove and pretend, but that would be taking ironic design a little bit far.