Maisons Fleuries 2016 - Second Prize - Best Gite Garden

Les Deux Platanes - 2nd Prize - Holiday cottage and gite gardens in the regional communes 2017 

Maisons Fleuries 2016 : At last the news has been released and although we were not there to collect the prize or enjoy the complimentary wine, our French friends of more than 40 years attended on our behalf. We are very pleased indeed to have been awarded 2nd prize in the regional garden competition. 

We were a runner up in 2014, missed the competition entry closing date in 2015 so to have this success in 2016 is fantastic. 

In addition to the lovely flowers as shown above we also won a lovely towel (no doubt to dry your hands after working in the garden) and 35 euro for some plants. 

There are hundreds of entries for the competition which covers a wide area if the Indre and Indre Loire region. So if you have yet to decide on your holiday you can be sure of enjoying one of the most flowery gardens in central France at les Deux Platanes.

The planning has already started for the 2017 cottage garden and no doubt as last year there will be over 450 plants arriving from Brookside Nursery (Staffordshire UK**) in April. Follow this BLOG for further 'flower' information!

** Visit the Brookside Nursery website to see the wide range of plants available, they post out to France in special containers - great service. 

Grrrrrrr - madness!

Its not often I have a moan on our BLOG, hopefully this is the first and last time. 

The French Tourist Agency reports a drop in tourism for 2016, with Paris having a significant fall in numbers visiting the 'City of Light'. I am sure that in an effort to make the situation even worse the French Tax authority have now introduced a 15.5% 'social tax' on all rented furnished holiday accommodation. This is in addition to the normal tax levied on all income. In reality, in order to cover this ridiculous new tax, all holiday accommodation owners should increase charges by 15.5% , just what you need when tourist numbers are falling. In reality we will absorb the increase this year but 2018 will have to see a significant increase to cover all or part of this new tax. Grrrrrrr madness!