A Hidden Greenhouse
Old Greenhouse (Une Vieille Serre)
The French word for greenhouse, serre, comes from the word serrer, meaning to close or tighten. It makes sense, since a greenhouse is a structure where plants are “closed in” to protect them from extreme weather outside.
Also inside every old greenhouse are stories of its history, with aging iron, clouding glass, and remnants of vines and moss…
A Birthday Treasure
Last September, during a day of antiquing in Paris, I found a charming old greenhouse, or should I say, it found me.
It’s always been a dream of mine to have a greenhouse in my garden, and when I saw this charming vieille serre hidden under a tent, I fell for it immediately. It was actually my birthday, which made finding it feel like a special gift!
Stories from the Garden
One of the things I love most about finding antiques in France is imagining where they’ve been and how they were once used.
I learned that this old greenhouse came from an old château where it was used to shelter herbs and help them begin to grow. You can imagine how much that made me love it even more. I’m always so drawn to pieces like that… things with a story, things that have been used and loved, and things that still carry a little bit of their past with them.
This greenhouse had so much charm, and knowing it once held herbs at a château made it feel even more magical to me. I just had to bring it back…
A New Home
Now the little old glass and iron greenhouse is looking right at home inside the shop at Les Fleurs—filled with tulips, daffodils, and muscari in handcrafted pots, amongst vintage copper watering cans and garden tools. I honestly couldn’t love it more. It feels like such a sweet little piece of spring… and such a lovely memory from France brought home.
For now, I’m so happy to see it here in the shop, bringing a little life and beauty to this season. But I have to say… I’m already dreaming of the day when I bring it to my garden and use it the very same way. Some pieces just stay with you, and this one definitely has.
It is said that an old greenhouse is like a time capsule, with stories of a different time and place; yet it’s also a space for new growth.
Joyeux printemps! (happy spring)
Sandra 🤍
