I’m a keen gardener & can’t wait to see this garden get going. However, this is a massive space& I would encourage you to please consider giving a garden designer (especially some one who specialises in a food garden a call before you dig anything in), it will save you lots of mistakes , time & money.. 🌳

Be sure to talk to the tree people about whether each type of tree you want needs to be done in pairs (males & females), or more, for pollination & fruit production. In my experience, a single variety often doesn't thrive properly. Love the stairs/walls area you found! Can't wait to see what it looks like cleared! Love your channel. I want to buy a château to restore & live in, but so far my husband isn't up for it. He likes watching your channel too though, so there's hope. 😊

Staircases and walls are most likely a promenade. A raised viewing platform that you would walk (promenade) along to get the best view of the garden and it’s design pattern. Often times musicians would play as the guest would mill about. You might even find a structure or remains of a pavilion or other architectural features. It might be worth checking out the possibility of getting a historic garden grant for restoration of the garden. It seems that the bare bones are already in place and you could tweak it to incorporate todays garden interest - food production, more drought tolerant plantings etc. Incorporating the past and today. Definitely encourage you NOT to purchase and plant until you do a basic garden design yourselves or have a professional do a master plan design that you could chip away at by buying/planting as finances enable. I know it’s hard when you want to get going -guilty myself- but with thoughtful planning the garden could be an additional financial resource on its own, not just an accessory to the chateau. Either way best of luck and can’t wait to see what you discover once the chainsaw gets going!

If I were you I would consult a landscape architect first before planting. Your property has a lot of formality to it and I would keep a formal, Renaissance style garden in this space as an additional asset to your Wedding and Movie set business, photo ops for brides etc. You could plant your fruit trees and vegetables closer to the cottage you live in. Is there space for the fruit trees in front of the farm building you had the roof fixed in this episode? Is there space for some raised beds? As a passionate gardener I have made a lot of mistakes in the past 3 years. Main lesson learnt: planning is key, knowledge about soil quality, light, water requirements etc. I had to shift a lot of things around, install new sprinklers etc. Vegetables don’t like overhead watering. You need water access to hook your drip irrigation up to. Tomatoes can look messy in summer. Once it gets very hot, they focus on survival, don’t produce fruit and look messy. You don’t want that in the big formal garden. To cut cost, you could buy a few lavender plants and propagate them. Dahlias multiply in one season. Plant them near your house, dig up the tubers in fall and use them for the big bed the next year. Maintaining a big flowerbed like the ones you are restoring is a lot of work and expensive. Depending on your water quality, you may need to water through drip irrigation to avoid hard water staining and mildew on your plants. There is a lot to consider. Check out the KZfaq channel Garden Answer. Laura set up a garden in four rectangles, like yours. She calls it the South Garden. She has sections for flowers, vegetables, a secret garden. You can learn a lot about the set up. She just planted a formal garden around her greenhouse. You get an idea about plant quantity, spacing for optimal growth. Why don’t you contact her? She and Aaron are the kindest, generous and helpful people….and just planted an Orchard. Another very important thing to consider: dear and boar resistant plants. Your garden beds are not protected by hedges etc. What you plant can get eaten. Start to observe that space. Take notes of animals near the space, light at certain time of the day, drainage after rain. There is a documentary called “The Gardener” that is very inspirational. It’s the journey of a former businessman that created one of the most remarkable gardens in this world

In reading all the comments, it seems that you shouldn't rush into this. A lot of great points made.

I hesitate to say this because I love your content. The property is so significant. The fruit trees, as you know, would have been relegated to an orchard or kitchen garden. The garden you have unearthed would have been formal. I concur with the other viewers that perhaps you should have a garden designer make an overall plan for the property. Thank you again for your wonderful videos and for sharing your lives with all of us francophiles!

What an amazing discovery! Can you imagine a terrace overlooking the garden for weddings and events 💕

Hello, I’m the person who was there in 1962. I remember rambling through the woods with a movie person who said we would find a “folie,” or the remains of one, in there somewhere. And so we did! But I don’t remember exactly where…..

That's a parterre garden. Not really meant for fruit trees, except perhaps orange trees in Versailles tubs. If you have an orangerie type building, you could put fruit trees out in tubs. Otherwise if you put trees in the ground, it won't look right. It's not that type of garden. Perhaps talk to a garden designer who understands period garden design? Planting trees willy-nilly means transplanting them again later.

Get a vacuum attachment for your lawn mower to pick up the leaves!

Great discovery of the stairs. Agree that hiring a landscape designer would be beneficial. I like the fact that the garden is open and creates space between the woods and the chateau, covering with trees would decrease the look of grandiose and can just make it look like an addition of the forest. Absolutely love your chateau!

You should look at the gardens of Château d’Ussé. It would be nice if you kept it original to the era of your château.

A small suggestion on planting your fruit trees. I had a garden (nothing on the scale of your stunning chateau) and had cherry and fig trees as well. The fig tree, although they're delicious, as a tree it's not the most attractive. Putting it next to the cherry, which blossoms beautifully, is going to ruin the symmetry and aesthetics. Try almond trees, they blossom as well. Definitely plant fig trees, but not in the front garden for display. Just a suggestion.

I can see box hedges in the straight lines and around where you want the trees. Lavender, roses and fragrant herbs along with lilacs would be nice as well.

You may already know about this but at least here in the US, you can buy screen wire design to go on top of the gutters so you don’t have to go clean the gutters all the time they just sail off over the screen wire which would make your task a lot easier. Good luck love, Kathy.

What a lovely surprise. Hidden stairways in the woods is one of my favorite fantasy tropes.

May I suggest checking Classic French Garden Design for guidance before settling on a scheme for your garden. The Vaux-le-Vicomte is a good one to start. (For the designer and it’s layout significance as a reference for many to follow; including chateau Versailles)

About 5:01, I had to laugh as Daphne and the Cat both looked like they were holding court! The Cat does not look impressed.

Chateau de Lalande has a landscape designer who suggested espaliered pear trees. Not suggesting that you need a designer, but espaliered apples pears and cherries would be appropriate in the parterre. A true parterre garden that size would be impossibly high-maintenance but a modified version with, for example, lavender or rosemary hedges instead of box would be nice.

Daphne and Ian...Hello from Canada! A hint / tip for getting rid of the weeds, etc. in the cobblestone. Try a strong, undiluted mix of: straight white vinegar (1 litre jug poured into a spray unit), epsom salt (at least one cup - it will eventually dissolve in solution, the more salt the better), and a table spoon or two of dish soap / dish washing liquid. The vinegar is a great acid base, but the epsom salt vastly increases the drying / dehydrating impact on the plant - right down to the roots, and the soap aids in holding the salt solution on the plant. Do a test, but I use this regularly on cement, flagstone, etc. without any issue. If any salt residue remains, it will evaporate or just give it a quick washdown. Love your channel from day one. Have been a longtime viewer (via cable TV) but my 'Subscriber' status did not validate for some reason until I logged in and re-subscribed through the computer just now. You and the property are an inspiration in our search for a future property in France or Italy.

8:38 I love how Francis is so obviously a cat person!! So cute!

Figs and nuts are to bushy to be in the ornamental garden, walnut will take 20 years to give any harvest and the grow to 6-12 meters in hight. Stick to pear, apple, cherry and plum They can be grown on different root stocks so you can choose the same finished hight for all the trees Along a sunbathed wall you can plant abricot nectarine and peach and then put fig and haselnut in a place where you can have some big bushy plants If you have time go visit "le potagere du roi" in Versailles just 5 min from the castle or see the gardens of Villandry 😄

Perhaps researching the designs of André Le Nôtre, the French landscape architect and gardener to Louis XIV and Versailles would give you some inspiration for your lovely formal gardens. As always, your videos are beautifully produced and a joy to watch. Thank you from Minneapolis.

Bag up the leaves into black plastic bags make a few small holes in the bottom and tie the top store outside until leaves have rotted down. This leaf mould then can be used in the veg garden to improve the soil.

Oh I love a new discovery!! Y'all are so precious!

The roofers in France must make a lot of money since there are so many chateau being restored.

You need a pull behind lawn sweeper for the leaves and they make a netting to cover the gutters to keep them out. Might make your job easier. Your doing a great job!

I think whatever you do in the garden that you should keep it symmetrical to preserve the heritage. Olive trees get HUGE. You should plant the trees at the tip end of all the cross points so that when you walk the paths between your trees frame each end point anchoring the entire breadth of the garden. Also you should plant the same tree opposite sex across from one another for pollination and symmetry

Guys the garden is massive and it deserves a proper professional planning! Play with the circular center and do geometric shapes interlocking. Then you’ll at least have a thought out master plan within which you can plant! Bon Courage 💪🏼

I agree with the other comments on here re the trees and garden design. I’ve got some free time and would be happy to do some research on the type of trees and a great historical based design that fits your aesthetic. Espaliered trees are what I would highly recommend instead of free standing. And those stairs?!?! Bestill my heart❤

That terrace would be a great place for a big giant greenhouse.

You could try a fire/flame torch (don't know what they are called!) to kill the cobblestone weeds - it's what they use at a couple of the other chateaus!

L’arboriculteur vous donnera sûrement de bons conseils ! Je ne planterai pas de figuier à côté de cerisier 😊 (pas tout à fait les mêmes caractéristiques) plutôt des pruniers (très jolie floraison aussi !) Peut-être que des fruitiers en espaliers seraient approprié ? Mais je comprends que l’entretien puisse être un frein ! Les figuiers pourraient être plantés aux abords des escaliers découverts, comme des petits massifs 😉, avec des choisya (oranger du Mexique) par exemple 😊 Quand aux oliviers, demandez conseil si le terrain/climat est bénéfique ! Pour les noyers, n’oubliez pas que la hauteur est bien différente des cerisiers ! Il faut aussi y penser dans votre plan et perspective 😉 Vous êtes adorables tous les deux (et aussi le chien) Prenez bien soin de vous ! Ah ! Une idée aussi : planter des tas de bulbes le long des limites des carrés de ce jardin ! Ainsi cela repousse tous les ans !! Bonne semaine ! 🌸🌸🌸

You two are such a joy to watch and it is so much fun to see all the things that are hidden on the chateau grounds. Thank you for taking us along with you on this wonderful journey. Bless you both 💝

I love how your cat it’s always right there, like taking care of you guys. I just found your Chanel, love it. 👍🏻😁

yes i am agree, you have an historical garden, it could be interesting to ask a gerden designer specially in historical garden

Consult with a landscape garden designer to get some advice prior to spending money on trees, shrubs . Each property has different orientation to North, South, East, & West, which will dictate which type of tree should be planted where. Also the amount of water a species of tree require varies a lot. The exposure to sun, shade & the prevailing winds are also big factors in how successfully a tree will grow. Spending the money on a consultant will save you money in the long run , because you’ll know the best location for specific trees. Since the cost of trees is very high, you need to plan ahead. Do you have access to water out on that huge garden? Because if not you’ll need to figure out how you’ll water new saplings you plant, or they will die if there is a repeat of excessively high temperature next summer.

So fun planning your orchard / garden! Reckon you could fit a lot more in those spots, check out a method or pattern of planting fruit trees - called "quincunx" - if you imagine four trees planted on the corners of a square, and one in the middle (makes up the five), then repeat the pattern as far and wide as suits. Some trees love shade more than others - local knowledge will help you here. Apples are amazing - I have a few, something I've had to learn with all my fruit trees is that each one may require a "pollinator", being another variety. It can get quite mathematical trying to work out if you have pollinators for each tree. Same goes for some cherries and plums. Look forward to seeing your progress, love your videos, and oh-em-gee - the hidden terrace or was it an orangery or was it a glass house or, or, or......

How exciting finding the stairs and walls !

• 2 cups salt • 1 gallon of white vinegar, 5 percent acidity • ¼ cup Dawn dish detergent Works wonders

So exciting about uncovering the hidden structures of the garden. I see lots of good content to come. ❤️😊

Every time is interesting & exciting seeing what you’re both doing and finding!! Looks like you’re having fun with the garden plans! The cute little sneeze made me laugh!

Vinegar will not have a bad effect on paving stones. Actually they will look even better. If you want good results and kill weeds, use undiluted vinegar.

Nick does work for escape to rural France , he also does forest work for La lande

I would suggest to get inspired by other French chateau gardens and to choose plant well adapted to your region.

You have a beautiful cat. And it goes every rooms you go to. It is awesome!

You have plenty of places to plant trees on your estate. If it were me I would wait a bit before planting anything in the formal gardens. You might discover some old pictures or plans that reveal its original design. I have feeling those squares were probably filled with box woods and flowers, probably a fountain, concrete benches and some statues. Much more appropriate for a wedding venue, views from the chateau and film locations. Your fruit trees and veggie gardens could be in a working area of the estate. I have been into permaculture for years and it is not pretty much of time. Rather unsightly half the year. It would be better in a walled garden near the kitchen. The fruit trees beyond that.

Germans often use a propane weed torch on cobblestone areas. Fast and effective. They also use vinegar in areas that aren’t safe to use the torch.

Garden already looks beautiful but with blooming trees it will be just magical.

Peaches, nectarines, plums and cherries, which are all members of the Prunus genus, can safely grow near black walnut trees. Your arboris will know what other trees can grow near and or together.

I really encourage you to find a landscape architect or garden designer to work with and guide you on your journey it would be money well spent.

When you used the vinegar did you happen to use house hold vinegar, the reason being is that if you use i.e. 2 cups cleaning vinegar, 2 tbsp of salt and 1 tbsp of dawn soap after 2 days of sunshine you should see the green go white....I know that this works as I use it often on my garden stones....you would have to figure out ratios that would work for you....

La découverte de l'escalier est un beau moment. Ce jardin a plein de beaux secrets. Très belle vidéo, merci pour le partage.

So much progress! And the hidden staircases will be so interesting to uncover. I agree with some comments about maybe consulting a garden designer, just because it is a big investment in trees. But I like the ideas you already have, maybe add two more cypress at the back for symmetry. ♥️

Just a thought, while leaf blowing is wildly satisfying a mulching lawn 'vacuum' will remove the leaves, not just move them and it will give you a super mulch for around trees, io garden paths and as an addition to any kitchen waste composting you do.

One sun terrace and one shade terrace. Perfect. See if there are young trees on your grounds that are the kind you like, and transplant them to where you like them (in winter). Free trees!

ohh the stairs 😍THE VIEW! On the garden and Chateau... This is becoming a very special place! Thank you for sharing the garden layout sketch and process already, it's so interesting to see and learn. "Perspective and difference" is a great tip and it makes all the sense in the kinds of trees you mentioned. 🍀

What if a film location scout needs a rundown stable block covered with leaves? LOL.

Natural Weed Killer Recipe. 1 gallon white vinegar · 1 cup salt · 1 tablespoon liquid dish soap. Could use organic dish soap with citrus or sunlight soap. We used this soap on our organic mango plantation inside and recycle it as grey water to feed plants. Also, you need gutter guard, it protects the gutters from leaf built up and would save soooo much time

This is so adorable. Can't watch it without smile.😍

These grounds are really beautiful even in their state of disrepair. Your antique garden illustrations in another video hint at another garden structure at one of the outer corners of the moat.

Pico is the best part of these videos 😻

What a beautiful find in the garden. It would be nice if you could find the original plans of the garden somewhere. I must say that I am not really afan of what you are propsing to do. You actually really need a garden designer to guide you . This garden needs to be symetricly like its foundations are and historicly correct.

It would be beautiful to clear the stairs and terrace while leaving enough greenery to lend mystery; you could also find an old marble statue or two and tuck them away to be found by passersby - I'm thinking of the scene in Lord of the Rings, where Aragorn is cleaning fallen leaves from the statue of his mother...

You guys are doing a great job chipping away at such a massive project :)

De nos jours les rénovateurs de châteaux peuvent compter sur la technologie des drones. Technologie que n'avait pas Lenôtre de son temps pour imaginer et réalisé la majesté des perspectives de ses fameux jardins à la française.

Have you thought of maybe planting espalier fruit trees around the edge of the garden, rather than planting trees that will grow very big in the middle of the squares? For a formal garden I think espaliers could be lovely and you could keep them quite low, so they wouldn't cast too much shade on other plants. I also love Daphne's idea of an olive tree in the middle of each square - but I would put one in all four squares to keep the symmetry. Personally I think figs and cherries would be too big and unruly for a formal garden. The hidden stairs are so exciting - can't wait to see you reveal them :)

I make a 50/50 salt and water solution. Then mix the 50/50 salt water solution to vinegar. Only spray where you do not want anything to grow, and only do it when there won’t be rain for a few day’s to prevent runoff in other areas.

Always love watching you two! With the holes in the roofs, I immediately thought of that movie with Tom Hanks & Shelly Long, The Money Pit. If you're having a rough day thinking about all the repairs, perhaps that will offer some comic relief as you adventure through your own version. 😘

What a cool discovery those hidden stairs were. Can't wait to see them uncovered. I think Archea ( sorry about the spelling) had probably already found them. 😉🐕 hugs to both the fur babies. I so enjoy your channel. Your personalities and voices are calming and positive, something most of us need now.

you have to spray the weed with pure cleaning vinegar. I do it myself in the spring, it has to be dry for a few days in a row and a little warm can't hurt. Once you've sprayed it and it's dead, you can brush it away with a back mower. after that it is only a matter of maintenance

I can't wait to see what the stairs look like!!! Amazing new things to discover.

In the Philippines we call the beverage exactly as you make it (boiling peeled ginger root and lemon juice ) as "salabat". Well not exactly as lemon is not endemic to the Philippines. We use native Phillippine lemon (looks more like lime actually) we call "calamansi". Surprised this beverage is a lot more common in the West. It is said to soothe a sore throat and helps improve ones singing voice. 😊

in victorian era they used alot of mid to short bushes to line the gardens and most of the time planted flowers of different types in side those boarders trees are nice but rarely ever saw them in grand gardens and congrats on finding that terace please clean it and bring it bk i can picture vicotorian peolpe dressed well sitting enjoying wine walking the garden and discussing last nights crazy dance party gatherings and such good job to bolth of you isnt easy i am sure but just picture what this must of looked like when 1st built :) look up what the gardens looked like bk then.

Here is the recipe we’ve use successfully for years. Works great! 1 Gallon Vinegar 2 Cups Epson Salt 1/4 Cup Dawn Dish Soap (The Blue Original) It will kill anything you spray it on. Just mix and spray in the morning, after the dew has evaporated.

Just an FYI I yearly make a sliced ginger, lemon, raw honey (equal parts) and keep it in a jar in fridge all winter long😉

Love finding the stairs and what they could have lead to: a orangerie? Performance Stage? Hmmm 🧐

Vinegar and water will only kill the top leaves 🍃 not the root..burning with a blow torch might be better and some silicone sand to brush on the cracks..amazing stuff.xx

How exciting to find the stairs and garden wall! Can’t wait to see what you both do with it

So much fun to discover the hidden stairs. You know there was a purpose for them the exciting thing is just what was the original intent? I love stuff like this! So nice to see Francis again, love to listen to him speak. Knowledgeable and funny. I love the grounds and buildings so much I am living vicariously through your videos. Just adore you two and the animals! See you next week.

I' going to write in portuguese that is my first language. Meu marido e eu estamos fascinados com seus videos. A qualidade, as musicas, a continuidade dos videos, em fim TUDO é absolutamente perfeito. Muito obrigada! Espero que voce sejam muito felizes e continuem adicionando muito amor neste mundo com os seus videos.🌹🌻🌼💐🪷

Please talk to your local gardeners before planting fruit trees. Those you mentioned have differing requirements. I'd hate to see you having to spend more money to relocate or worse have to buy replacement trees. The chateau looks wonderful!

The problem with really old buildings is that there will always be surprises. Most rather expensive and some pleasant.

There is a thing that looks like a lawn mower but it's a giant blower for leaves. Might be helpful to you.

💕COBBLESTONE-The yellowing you showed means the vinegar has killed them NOW you Need to REMOVE those dead weeds & twigs💕SORRY Vinegar has no hands to pull up weeds💕if you pull up weeds first then use vinegar it’s job done💕TREES-Plant trees that produce fruit that you use like lemon & orange trees plant edible flowers if you want to add colour💕Raspberries tomatoes & cucumbers grow well up frames & taste delicious freshly picked💕You need an edible garden💕

It looks like you have gotten some suggestions from others about your wild plant problem. I have a suggestion that has worked very well for us. We are Americans in France as well (20+ years now). We also have have brick and stone walkways that have wild rose runners and weeds .At first we tried some of the solutions that have been suggested to you.with limited success. we also have dogs that we were concerned for so we didn’t want to use chemicals. Our solution to the weed problem turned out to be quite simple… HOT WATER! I would suggest that you pick out a small problem area as a test plot. Heat up a pot full of boiling water and pour it on the offending area. If your results are anything like ours, you will see results in a couple of hours. I have also been thinking about how to use this principle on larger areas. In the “States”auto mechanics use a pressure washer, to clean grease from engines. It also heats the water. The brand is “Hotsey”. While I doubt that that particular brand is in France, likely there is a French equivalent. Possibly something you could rent. Not sure if a standard steam cleaner will work, but it might. I will be interested to hear about your results.“Bonne Chance”! John

What a find!!! So exciting all the treasures waiting to be awoken again! I love it!

I'm told that a solution of epsom salts will kill moss, weeds and grasses. The usual problem is it will kill anything next to it you hoped to keep. The cobble stoned area would be a good experiment for trying that, maybe. It should be sprayed in the fall. (It's also good for invasive shrubbery)

I just found your channel and watched you struggling with your unwanted grass in the cobblestones. I'm an avid urban gardener and have found that orange oil works wonders in eliminating unwanted grasses even insect nests (in Texas that would be ants). The strength/ratio of oil to water depends on the strength of the root system you want to eliminate. I suggest trying a 1to1 ratio to start with. The plus; an incredibly lovely citrus fragrance in the area in which you apply the solution.

U guys are awesome!!!! Just an idea? In the old days. In South Africa..home owners with home steads. And plenty trees. Use to put chicken mesh over the gutters. To prevent leaves bundle up in the gutters. Which becomes a problem. And heavy . And also horrible to clean wet leaves from gutters. It smells horrible!! Keep up the good work!! We love your vlog!!!

Thank you so much for bringing your charm, gentleness, magic, and love to the fascinating story of your restoring of this beautiful Chateau.....you are both such a joy to listen to, and to follow in all of your Chateau Beau escapades...........also such great music choices! Love & Blessings

The discovery of the hidden garden is amazing.Love your channel.

We had all the fruit trees in our yard when growing up, the trees are going to get really large! Seems too large for the center and they will not be shipped the same unless you trim them. I would thing there would be a better place for trees so the garden around the fountain would be visually symmetric

I have a cobblestone front walkway and keep the weeds down with a spray of vinegar, water and liquid soap. Not too heavy on the soap but a lot,of vinegar and not a lot of water. Love your channel … watching from PA, USA.

I know I’m still far behind on the videos so you’ve probably completed this. But if you string lined from the smaller beds you uncovered. You would find the exact place of the other stone edging. As they were fastidious in aligning the garden beds back in the day.

Terrace stairs were a gorgeous find which will enhance your fruit tree garden. These things are not built over night, but over time, I think you will end up with a fantastic garden. Another wonderful video.

You guys are so sweet.🥰 I can’t wait to see more of those garden walls and steps! How exciting!

I use plain table salt to kill the weeds. It dries and shrivels the roots up. Just sprinkle it on. X

Power washing the cobblestone will remove the grass. Leaves=free compost 😊

It is fascinating all the discoveries you make that is exciting but that imply more work for you. Wait until you find the underground tunnels and the hidden orangerie; ja ja ja, how fascinating!!!! Best of luck;‘I am having great fun.