Mediterranean Medley

Chateau with wisteria

“After women, flowers are the loveliest thing God has given the world.”– Christian Dior

Springtime in California is nothing short of magical. When I step outside my door, the heady fragrance of jasmine mingling with wisteria envelops me in sensory delight. It is the same perfume that enchanted me in the picturesque fishing village of Cassis, nestled between the Calanques and Cap Canaille in southern France.  Sitting on a balcony overlooking the turquoise Mediterranean, I was struck by the familiar sights and scents–identical blooms to those in my California garden, minus the lull of the waves and the salty smell of the sea.

My connection to France runs deep. As a teenager, I spent a year studying at the University of Bordeaux, immersing myself in the language and culture. On this latest journey to Provence, I was reminded why California is considered the only state in the United States with a Mediterranean climate characterized by mild, wet winters, warm, dry summers, and glorious springs.

Just like our gardens here, southern Frances landscapes flourish with trees, fruits, and herbs. Fig, olive, apple, cherry, and pear trees were ubiquitous. Vineyards of grapes stretched endlessly much like those in Napa County and elsewhere in California. Fields of lavender sway beside herbs like rosemary, sage, thyme, geranium, and parsley spilling from baskets and windowsills.

One key difference I noticed was how the French combat the brutal Mistral winds–cold, powerful gusts that whip through the Rhone River valley in winter and spring. In response, vineyards in regions like Chateauneuf-du-Pape and Bourgogne prune their vines to under eighteen inches in height. Vines growing in my property soar to six or seven feet. Hectares of neon-yellow rapeseed, grown to produce canola oil, carpeted the countryside, echoing our local wild mustard blooms. Both rapeseed and mustard are part of the Brassicaceae family, which includes cabbage.

When I left California, my Western Redbud had just begun to flower. In France, these trees are named Judas trees, with strikingly similar buds. The legend is that when Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus, Judas hung himself from the branch of this “love tree”. It is also called the Mediterranean Redbud, part of the Fabaceae pea family. When you look closely at the buds, they resemble peas.

In Arles, I wandered through Le Jardin de la Maison de Santé a Arles, where Vincent Van Gogh was a psychiatric patient. The translation is “the Garden of the Hospital in Arles”. The garden–depicted in his famous painting–remains almost unchanged.  I stood where he once stood, to photograph the garden and his painting for a comparison. Bergenia, pansies, iris, and primroses were flowering, and the central fountain was flowing.

Tulips in various color patterns dotted courtyards, churchyards, and village squares. My favorite combination was at the base of the Collegiate Church of Saint-Julien in Tournon-sur-Rhône built in the 1300s. What sets French gardens apart from our California gardens is the abundance of ancient stone architecture, some over 2,000 years old, adorned with cascading blooms. Wisteria in deep purples and lilacs in fragrant violet shades and early budding roses spilled over ancient walls and iron fences in every town and village from Avignon to Viviers to Grignon and beyond.

Buttery yellow Lady Banksia roses were showstoppers on arbors throughout the region. Lenten roses, snowball plants, cherry laurels, hibiscus, snow mound spirea, lilies, petunias, succulents, and euphorbias added to the floral festival.

At the bustling farmers’ markets, carts of vegetables fresh from the soil were earthy, bountiful, and flavorful. Asparagus and strawberries were the biggest sellers. My journey through Provence was filled with botanical beauty, scrumptious cuisine, fine wines, and history lessons.

Upon my return to California, I am reminded that we share the same Mediterranean gifts of climate, and exquisite flowers and trees.  I walk out my back door into my garden, springing in style to revisit my personal horticultural Mediterranean medley. I am once again in Provence–only here it is home.

We women are lovely, and so are our flowers. This spring I’m dreaming in French.

Happy Gardening. Happy Growing.

Cynthia Brian’s Goddess Gardener Guide for May

ISOLATE new plants after purchasing and before introducing them to your garden to manage any pests. No matter where you buy a plant, it may have bugs.

TOUR any of the fifty-one beautiful native plant gardens that are open on this year’s Bring Back the Natives Tour. The 2025 Gardens at a Glance matrix can help you choose which gardens and homes you would like to visit. 

DOWNLOAD a list of Doug Tallamy’s San Francisco Bay Area species drawn from native plants and the number of species of butterflies and moths that will lay eggs. Download these PDF and Excel files.

PLANT early blooming native plants to offer a reliable food source for emerging pollinators.

MOW grasses and weeds to a height of three inches or less no later than June 1st as required by the fire district.

BRING nature indoors with a living plant. Fake plants don’t contribute to air quality or well-being.

CLEAN bird feeders and allow a portion of your garden to be wild to nourish birds and beneficial insects.

CHECK the pollen levels daily at www.Pollen.com or a weather app if you suffer from spring allergies.

ADD color and pollinators to your garden with Heuchera, Bluestar Amsonia, Rudbeckia, Gaillardia, Columbine, Echinacea, Milkweed, Agastache, and Coreopsis

LAYER bulbs in a container to bring a delightful progression of blooms to your doorstep, balcony, or patio all season long.

See photos and more at https://cynthiabrian.substack.com/p/mediterranean-medley?

For more gardening advice for all seasons, check out Growing with the Goddess Gardener at https://www.CynthiaBrian.com/books. Raised in the vineyards of Napa County, Cynthia Brian is a New York Times best-selling author, actor, radio personality, speaker, media and writing coach, as well as the Founder and Executive Director of Be the Star You Are!® 501 c3, which was just honored as the 2024 Nonprofit of the Year by the Moraga Chamber of Commerce. https://www.BetheStarYouAre.org . Tune into Cynthia’s StarStyle® Radio Broadcast at https://www.StarStyleRadio.com. Her best-selling gardening book, Growing with the Goddess Gardener, is available at https://www.CynthiaBrian.com/online-store. Hire Cynthia for writing projects, garden consults, and inspirational lectures. Cynthia@GoddessGardener.com  https://www.CynthiaBrian.com