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Gardening in France

Almost every European climate inside one border, from Brittany drizzle to Provence heat.

The numbers that decide your year

Growing zones
USDA 6b–10a · oceanic to Mediterranean
Last spring frost
March to mid May by region
First autumn frost
October to December by region
Rainfall
From 600 mm in the south to 1200 mm in the west
The local challenge

Choosing which France you garden in and then committing to it.

Rules worth knowing

Water restrictions are common in summer in the south; some communes regulate hedge height along boundaries.

How people actually garden here

  • Potager
  • Formal parterre
  • Provençal gravel garden
  • Orchard meadow

Native to this country

Plants that evolved here. They ask least of you and give most back to local insects and birds.

Reliable in this climate

Introduced rather than native, but proven in these conditions. Each links to its full encyclopedia entry.

Seasonal jobs

The calendar reads your device clock and orders every job for the northern hemisphere.

Open the calendar
The printed guide

The France Gardening Guide

312 pages written for this country alone: its soil, its frost dates, its rules and the plants that reward the effort. Everything on this page, expanded and in your hands.

  • Six climates, one country
  • The potager year
  • Vines, figs and stone fruit
  • Drought planting for the south
  • Formal structure on a small plot
  • Regional frost tables
€9.95312 pages · PDF download