Villandry en hiver

Remember our wonderful tour of the potager garden at Villandry in the Loire Valley, France, this summer? The gardens are actually just as glamorous all year round, so we’ve returned to show you their autumn and winter splendour.

The multi-coloured checkerboard effect is even more in evidence than it was during our summer visit, with huge ornamental cabbage heads providing so much wonderful colour.

The ruby chard is now huge, and looks marvellous in the rich, golden winter sunlight.

One of the crops that was barely in evidence at all when we made our summer visit, save a sea of huge green leaves, was the pumpkin crop. In the autumn, the gardeners leave the ripe pumpkins out on the bare beds to cure in the sunlight, and to make the garden look as bright and cheery as they can.

But the best winter colour comes from the vines which surround the potager. Here they are in their summer fruiting glory, but their ruby autumn colour is still more spectacular.

You can read the full Villandry series here, and visit the Villandry website to find out more about how to visit. All images copyright Villandry.

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