Artist painter of plants
Article published in the garden Les 4 saisons
Spring 2026
First portrait : Dalila
Dalila is in charge of the allotment gardens in Aubervilliers. She is constantly interrupted by phone calls. It is not easy to explain to allotment holders that if they stop gardening, they must give up their plot. For many, the garden is a refuge and a place to meet up with friends or family. Continue reading “Dalila, a gardner in allotment Pantin-Aubervilliers”
Have you heard of the nashi ? Halfway between a European pear and an apple, hence its common name of apple-pear, this fruit is given as a gift in Japan in pretty packaging, either as a New Year present or as a consolation prize to rejected lovers.
So it is with this fruit that I will end the vegetable chronicles of my blog, before starting my real gardening stories in 2026. As I got a commission from the magazine “Les Quatre Saisons” for its special issue “Les jardins familiaux” (Allotments and Community gardens) to be published in March 2026.
Christopher Columbus, in search of a new route for the Spice Route, brought back chillies from the New World. The Aztecs used them in their cooking to spice up their dishes, but also to heal bodies and souls, believing that their strength drove away evil spirits. Continue reading “Chillies from the New World”
Hurrah, my cucurbit seedling survived ! A good memory in 2024 was to discover my mysterious seedling which withstand the vagaries of the weather and the procession of gastropods that make mincemeat of them. I was finally going to be able to enjoy cucumbers from my garden! And like “Perrette and her pot au lait”, the famous Lafontaine story, I was already dreaming of squash, cucumbers, gherkins and – why not – making jars of them. But – to my dismay – in July, its incredibly voluble vines, still bore no fruit. Finally, in August, I saw small greenish flowers appear in its magnificent foliage, clustered in the leaf axils and quickly transformed into fruit. Horn-shaped, with a few soft needles on the skin, they didn’t look at all like pickles. “This is a cyclenthere, aka achocha or pedata,” I was told. Continue reading “The Andean cucumber”
No, this question does not question the spelling of children’s favorite fruit, but sometimes reality is more than fiction. Indeed, Captain François Amédée Frezier – an authentic name that can’t be invented – was the inventor of the modern strawberry. Here’s the story.
In 1712, he was commissioned by the King to study (i.e., spy on) the coastal and port fortifications along the coasts of Peru and Chile, then Spanish possessions. Whether he developed a taste for botanical exploration out of boredom or fear of being discovered by the enemy is unclear. In any case, it was in Conception, in the viceroyalty of Peru, now Chile, that he discovered Continue reading “The story of the Tregastel strawberries”
Are you looking for the best time/result ratio? Vote for rhubarb! For non-gardeners and occasional gardeners alike, rhubarb is a godsend. Requiring no care and growing in mid-shade and cool soil, this hardy perennial thrives every year. These giant leaves can reach a span of up to two meters. They are supported by their scarlet-red stems or petioles, tending to green, and form a particularly beautiful decorative ensemble in June.
Carrots make you look and feel good, so why not start the year with them? By the way, do you know where they come from? The carrot, like many of our vegetables, comes from the East, its ancestors having been found in Eurasia, and more precisely in Afghanistan. Not very fleshy like its cousin, the parsnip, still very popular in Great Britain, the carrot came in all colors: from purple to pink, from yellow to orange or even white. But it wasn’t until the end of the 18th century, when white carrots were crossbred with red ones, that they strangely became orange instead of pink.
But how can you tell by its foliage what color it is under the soil ? There’s only one solution: pull out the root to identify it ! The carrot is in fact a taproot, because its root is unique, straight and tapered. If we didn’t harvest it in its first year, we’d see it blossom into magnificent white umbels, followed by seeds like any biennial plant. You would see it growing wild on our embankments, not to be confused with the poisonous hemlock.
But how can you tell from its outer foliage what color it is underground? There’s only one solution: pull out the root to identify it ! The carrot is in fact a taproot, because its root is unique, straight and tapered. If we didn’t harvest it in its first year, we’d see it blossom into magnificent white umbels, followed by seeds. Just as you’d see it growing wild on our embankments, not to be confused with the hemlock with its sinister reputation. This is characteristic of biennial plants. Continue reading “Happy carrots, happy new year !”
Do you remember, during summer holidays in the countryside, coming back from the orchard, with a half-full basket of plums now, in your hand, and your mouth full of the other half? Yellow, golden, red-pigmented yellow, yellow with a hint of green, or blue with a hint of violet, the range of plum colors is very subtle. Continue reading “Plums of the childhood”
Did you ever see a teepee in a garden, around which the bean wrapped itself in a race that last until the heart of summer ? Because it is indeed a vine that we are talking about. Its climbing or “paddle” form can reach up to three meters high. Hence for practical reasons, dwarf varieties have been selected.
When the nice days come back, we love their round and pink faces. Because in this period of transition between the winter vegetables and the first shoots of new vegetables, they taste as good as spring itself. Did you know that radishes do not belong to the root vegetable family? Known since antiquity, they are a part of the brassicas like mustard, arugula, watercress and cabbage. We find their traces in the writings of Olivier de Serres, considered as the father of French agronomy, the science of agriculture. Although in the sixteenth century, the terms of “agronomy” was referred to as “mesnager des champs or “farmland manager”. He invites gardeners to “sow every moon ( 28 days ) during six months…to have…every day new and tender raiforts (radishes)”. The agronomist is probably referring to the cultivation of radishes called “every month radish “. However, one has more chance of success if one waits until April to sow radishes, or even better early may. Continue reading “Hello spring, hello radishes!”