Happy Friday GPODers!

Around the same time many of us were clued to our screens watching the summer Olympics, Nancy Mellen was in Paris enjoying one of the most famous gardens in the city. Nancy has shared her garden several times in the past (Fall Beauties From Nancy, Gardening in Hingham, MA, and Blooming through the Winter) and previously submitted photos from an interesting Japanese garden she visit in Florida (GPOD on the Road: Morikami Japanese Garden). Today, she’s sharing photos from her recent trip to Jardin du Luxembourg in the city of love.

My husband and I were in Paris this August and stayed in St. Germain, which was only 15 minute walk to Notre Dame and a 10 minute walk to the Luxembourg Gardens. The gardens have chairs, benches, tables spread all around. We were amazed that there were probably over 100 people there, and those that weren’t watching the boats or walking were reading books, not looking at phones. We brought our books the next day and joined in.

Medici Fountain is a quintessential element and a must-see in Luxembourg Garden. Built around 1630, it’s a lasting symbol of the Italian influence and mannerist style that flourished in Paris during the 17th century. Surrounded by large trees that provide plenty of shade on a sunny day, the foliage-filled pots and thick vines add to the romantic scene. I’ve actually visited this garden myself, many years ago, and I can still remember feeling like I was transported into a completely different garden when I walked into this space.

The L’Acteur grec is another iconic sight in the gardens, and is always surrounded by lovely flowers. Translated to English, ‘The Greek Actor,’ was made in 1868 by Charles-Arthur Bourgeois and depicts an ancient Greek theater actor with a mask on his forehead, and sheepskin around his waist.

When you can pull yourself away from the incredible artwork and architecture, there are amazing platings to be found in the gardens. Rows of immaculately kept beds are backdropped by perfectly pruned trees and surprising pops of palms.

A central gathering point in Luxembourg Garden is an octagonal pond called the Grand Bassin. A festive and adorable activity at the Grand Bassin are these antique toy boats that parents are able to rent for their children. Amazingly, these little boats and this tradition date by to 1927.

Of course, like many city park ponds, the Grand Bassin is home to an assortment of ducks. However, in Parisian style, these waterfowl get ornate little homes perched in the middle of the pond. The bristly spikes on top of the house prevent other birds like pigeons and gulls from perching and taking up residence.

Beyond the fabulous fountain you can see the many people that Nancy mentioned, lounging in the gardens and enjoying the warm summer day. The best gardens are those that are comfortable to sit and spend hours in.

As a famous and hugely popular garden in a major city, Luxembourg Garden draws masses. Tons of groups are seen either soaking up the sun or enjoying the shade provided by immaculate rows of pleached trees. Pleaching is this technique of training and pruning trees to create formal and enclosed garden “rooms.”

The Luxembourg Palace in which the gardens are built around. The palace and gardens were constructed at the start of the 1600s, to be the residence of Marie de’ Medici, the second wife of King Henry IV and mother of King Louis XIII. Understandably, the stately palace and 25 hectares of formal and formal English gardens took about 30 years to complete.

Thank you so much for sharing photos of this famous, grand garden with us, Nancy! I visited this garden in very early spring, and it’s amazing to see it in peak summer color through your eyes.

Did you visit any public gardens during travels this summer? Maybe you visited your local botanical garden? As the days get shorter and colder, photos of summer blooms are exactly what we all need. Follow the directions below to submit, or send me a DM on Instagram: @agirlherdogandtheroad

Have a garden you’d like to share?

Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!

To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.

Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #FineGardening!

Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here.

Fine Gardening Recommended Products

Berry & Bird Rabbiting Spade, Trenching Shovel

Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

Ideal Tool for All Gardeners Use: Our heavy duty trenching shovel is designed by a professional gardening tool designer. Lifetime Durability: This heavy duty drain spade is made of high-quality stainless steel, it is very strong and durable, even if it is used for high-strength work, it will not bend. Ergonomic Wood Handle: The handle of this planting spade is made of ash hardwood harvested from FSC-certified forests and has an ergonomically streamlined design, making it very suitable for everyone's hands. Multi-Use: This digging shovel is generally used for digging trenches, digging holes, transplanting, edging, moving compost, cutting thick turf and furrowing. The sharp blade allows you to cut, scoop, dig, lift and dice in hard soil.

Buy at Amazon

Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden, Revised and Updated Second Edition: A Natural Approach to Pest Control

Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

This revised and updated edition of Jessica Walliser’s award-winning Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden offers a valuable and science-backed plan for bringing balance back to the garden. With this indispensable gardening reference—now updated with new research, insights, and voices—learn how to create a healthy, balanced, and diverse garden capable of supporting a hard-working crew of beneficial pest-eating insects and eliminate the need for synthetic chemical pesticides.

Buy at Amazon

Corona® Multi-Purpose Metal Mini Garden Shovel

Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

Longer Service Life: The blade of this round small shovel is made of carbon steel, which can effectively improve the hardness by high temperature quenching, and the surface has anti-rust coating to avoid rusting. In the process of use when encountering hard objects will not bend and deformation. Sturdy Structure: The small garden shovel with D-handle, ergonomically designed grip can increase the grip of the hand when using, the handle is made of strong fiberglass, will not bend and break under heavy pressure. Quick Digging: Well-made digging shovel has a sharp blade, and the round shovel head is designed to easily penetrate the soil and cut quickly while digging to enhance your work efficiency.

Buy at Amazon