June is 'garden month' in Menton and a feature of several of Menton's famous gardens this year is the vegetable garden or '
potager.'
We are in the gardens of the
Palais Carnoles which is a garden dedicated to citrus trees - it has a celebrated collection of oranges, lemon, grapefruit and so on. Here you see the beds under planted with young vegetables and everywhere you turn you also see a sculpture. In one area there are raised beds mulched with straw.
Not long ago Prince Albert of Monaco, who is very much into the environment, and his soon to be bride, Charlene Wittstock, officially opened this '
Potager des Princes.'
The head gardener, Franck Roturier, is in charge of 70 gardeners who care for all the public gardens of Menton.
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Juin est le Mois des Jardins à Menton et le thème de plusieurs des célèbres jardins mentonnais cette année est "le potager".Nous sommes dans les jardins du Palais Carnolès dédiés aux agrumes - on y trouve une remarquable collection d'oranges, citrons, pamplemousses et autres espèces d'agrumes.Ici vous pouvez voir les parterres plantés de jeunes légumes et partout où vous vous tournez, vous pouvez voir aussi une sculpture. Dans un secteur il y a des parterres surélevés protégés avec de la paille.Il y a peu de temps, le prince Albert de Monaco, qui porte beaucoup d'intérêt à l'environnement ,accompagné de sa future épouse Charlène Wittstock, a ouvert officiellement ce «Potager des Princes.Le jardinier en chef, Franck Roturier, est en charge des 70 jardiniers qui s'occupent de tous les jardins publics de Menton.
Bodies on the beach. It's hot in Menton, very hot. It feels like August yet it's still June.
Our last day with the beautiful Arabian horses. I'm sure this one is thanking you for coming to visit the show, as do I.
Sitting in the V.I.P. tent was this gentleman with a lot of grey hair. I imagine he is someone of importance in the world of Arabian horses as I wasn't the only one taking his photo.
Looks like I'm not the only one taking photos of the trophies - pretty amazing, aren't they?
I wonder if the tattoo is the name of her horse?
The handlers have to be strong to deal with these spirited horses yet when horse and man are in harmony with each other, it looks like some magical Arabian dance.
Reflections in an Arabian's eye.
Each year Menton holds a prestigious championship show for pure bred Arabian horses who compete from all over the world. I've covered this event before but there's always a new scene, a new way to take a photo and anyway I can never resist the chance to see these beautiful creatures. Last year we had rain and it was no fun to see the horses in the mud. This year we had glorious sunshine and it was hot - way too hot...
Place aux Herbes, Menton
Our last day at the gardens of the Villa Maria Serena - with a stone bench supported by a couple of weather-worn lions.
Just inside the entrance to the garden is this small house- perhaps it was originally used as a gate house.
The pretty campanile of the Villa Maria Serena. You can see in the smaller photo the spiral staircase within.
The trees and the palms are enormous and the views from the garden are fabulous: the sea, the facade of the beautiful old town of Menton and these gorgeous mountains that frame the garden from behind.
A impressive banana palm near the entrance to the gardens.
If you go on a garden tour then you have a tour guide/lecturer so meet the delightful Élisabeth Lafit, who explains the history of the house and shows us the most interesting plants and trees. The three acre garden is covered with a fine collection of palms, cycads and tropical plants and is maintained by three gardeners. Plants come from all over the Southern Hemisphere: Asia, Latin America and South Africa.
Menton is famous for its gardens with tours available to most of them all year round. Let's spend a few days wandering the gardens of the Villa Maria Serena which is almost at the Italian frontier. Yesterday's photos of the boat with Menton in the background were taken from the terraces.
One way to see the sights of Menton is in a boat. You can hire this one in the Old Port of Menton.
Someone in the gardens of the Palais Carnoles has had fun constructing these Flowerpot Men?
June is 'garden month' in Menton and a feature of several of Menton's famous gardens this year is the vegetable garden or 'potager.'
