A Potager…Who knew…apparently not me…

Yesterday as the day unfolded I was in the midst of some channel surfing. Being the tight wad that I am I refuse to pay for the premium movie channels the cable & satellite companies offer. However I do get gleefully excited when they from time to time offer those free preview weekends. I am not sure what prompted this lasted bit of generosity but our satellite provider is now providing us with the Starz channel free for one year. I’m sure it will be us to us to cancel at the end of the year but until then the movie hound in me is very happy.

Yesterday I watched part of the the movie “It’s Complicated” now I don’t recommend this movie because entire plot is about the infidelity of the two main characters. However there is one scene that has sparked my imagination.

There is a scene between the two main characters that takes place in this amazing garden. I was so captivated by this garden that I was no longer paying attention to what was happening in the movie. After the movie was over I could not stop thinking about this amazing beautiful space.

After several minutes of Google-ing I was able to determine that this type of garden is called a Potager.

A potager garden is the French counterpart to the English kitchen garden, but with an emphasis on growing vegetables. Y’all I had a French garden in my back yard and didn’t even know it…I feel so cultured now!

Here is an article on how to design and plant one in our own back yard. I will be giving this article some consideration in the days to come as I am thinking about my own spring garden.

However what struck me about the garden in this movie was how perfect and beautiful it was. It seemed almost unreal in it’s perfection. I however was not the only gardener to wonder about this phenomenon of perfection. As I did my Google search I found multiple articles out there all wondering the same thing, critical even that it was too perfect.

photo credit:  Melinda Sue Gordon, Universal Studios

I feel so much better after having read this small article about how they achieve all this magnificent perfection.

“Great piece from the LA Times on Meryl Streep's character's garden in "It's Complicated." Director Nancy Meyers is known for her real-estate-porn-for-middle-aged-women approach to set design (remember Diane Keaton's house in "Something's Gotta Give"?)  Well, she took the same approach to this character's Santa Barbara garden, an abundant potager that magically blends warm and cool-season crops.

From the film's production designer:

The vegetables were grown in a greenhouse for two months before the  garden scene was shot, and any plant that looked a little scrubby was not used.

There was also a little enhancement. "I probably shouldn't tell you this," Hutman said, guiltily, "but those tomatoes were wired to the vine."

It was beautiful to look at, wonderful to dream even of one having something like it…but reality, hot house plants and wired tomatoes.

Thank you Hollywood!

One day I dream of having a garden that looks like this…

But for now I will settle for my little patch of raised dirt in my back yard.

.

Well now my head is all full of spring expectation. I am itching to get my fingers in the dirt and having some green in the back yard again.

But ya know it will be here before ya know it.

Isaiah 61:11

¹¹ For as the soil makes the sprout come up
   and a garden causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness and praise
   spring up before all nations.

Well I just wanted to share this small bit of greenness with all of y’all this morning.

I also thought that in honor of my anniversary week I am going to try to post something every day. I don't know that I have ever gotten a post up every day for a week…well see how it all plays out.

And don't forget that if you want to toss your hat in the ring for my blog-o-versary giveaway just click on the link!

Blessings

R