France: The French potager is ‘so much more than a kitchen garden’
A brief history of the French potager by Michael Delahaye and how his wife’s 20th century potager matched a long-forgotten one on the same site
By Michael Delahaye
The Connexion France
Feb 9, 2021
Excerpt:
During the gardening craze of the French Renaissance, it became a feast for the eye, not the stomach: le potager décoratif.
Château de Villandry in the Loire Valley – the poster child for potagers the world over – raised the humble kitchen garden to the level of art, with cabbages, leeks, beetroots and carrot tops all contributing to the designer’s palette.
In the centuries-long history of the potager, one man deserves special mention: Félix Delahaye* (no relation, so far as I know). Born on a farm in Normandy in 1767, he was barely literate but, by dint of diligence and skill, he ended up as head gardener to the Empress Josephine.
That, though, is only part of his claim to fame. From 1791 to 1793, Félix was a member of Bruni d’Entrecasteaux’s expedition to the Antipodes in search of missing explorer Jean-François de La Pérouse.
His job was to help the botanists, les savants, to collect seeds and plants and look after them on board ship. In keeping with his low status, he ate and slept with the crew, but he had an additional duty – which would have consequences two centuries later.
