The Sea Garden is published in the UK today! The day is finally here after all the months of build-up. To look inside the book and read the beginning, you can visit the Orion Books site. And to celebrate here, a glimpse into the opening of the book: a real sea garden on the island of Porquerolles. A few steps away from the Place d'Armes in the village is the Jardin Emmanuel Lopez.
Exotic plants from the four corners of the world, from cacti to lavender, rosemary to palms, all thrive together in this sunny maritime climate.
The garden is managed by the National Park of Port Cros, which is also responsible for the seas around the "Golden Islands" of Porquerolles, Port Cros and the Ile du Levant. It was in this spot that the island's owner Monsieur Fournier, who had made his fortune in the silver mines of Mexico, had his garden laid out in front of his hacienda a century ago.
No dry Mediterranean garden would be complete without a display of bougainvillea - love the striking combination of these flower colours - and oleander, of course, all starkly cheerful against the bright blue of the sky and the sea close by.
