EX-PAT INTERVIEW & TOUR: Today, I take you on a to…

EX-PAT INTERVIEW & TOUR: Today, I take you on a to…

EX-PAT INTERVIEW & TOUR: Today, I take you on a tour of my brand new @david_austin_roses garden. 🌹

Some of you have been asking for my long-form videos, so you’ll be happy to watch this interview with Susan Cake, owner of Rosiers Anglais (which translates to “English Roses”), available now on my YouTube channel.

Sue and I first met over a year ago to discuss the initial ideas around a rose garden. My property in Brittany, France is on 3 acres (over 1 hectare), and it has an unusual mix of stone buildings, orchards and vegetable gardens, pasture, a trout river, and forest.

The land slopes gently, giving the home territorial and unobstructed views. At the top is an elevated area that receives full sun and faces west to enjoy the sunset. This space is where I chose to start my rose garden program.

Working in stages, Sue and I spent Spring 2021 developing a design that optimized the space for forty David Austin roses. Last summer, my farmer neighbor Denis arrived with his colossal tractor and a bunch of friends. Denis turned over all of the soil with his equipment, and they installed professional-grade “bâche” – a very thick weed barrier necessary for this temperate climate. And at a summer vide grenier (garage or flea sale) and plant show, I found a gorgeous, circular handmade iron trellis for the statement piece in the garden.

And there it all sat, dormant, all winter. I interview owner and friend Susan Cake in this YouTube full-length video. She shares her story of arriving in this country, creating this unique business selling David Austin English-style roses in France, and some fabulous tips if you would like to “dig” into this hobby yourself. Roses are fantastic to keep, even if all you have is a window sill!

For the full video, please visit my YouTube channel or click on the link in my bio.

P.S. If you are new here, bienvenue! Want to learn my backstory? That link is in my bio!

Bisous and big hugs from Bretagne, France,
Shannon

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