Jardin aux Potages

Many nineteenth-century French-Canadian settlers of Bourbonnais Grove planted Jardin aux Potages, literally translated from French to English as “Garden of the Kitchen.” Although local history does not indicate the exact shape or plan of Mrs. Elodie (Langlois) Letourneau’s Jardin aux Potages, she would have valued the accessibility of such a garden just beyond her back step. Whether her Jardin aux Potages was formal or informal, as a French-Canadian she would have valued integrated plantings for use and for pleasure. A formal kitchen garden design features plants that are easily accessed and that emphasize complementary colors, textures, and bloom times. Five Knock Out roses planted between four white oak trees just east of the kitchen garden draw attention from businesses on Main Street to the rear of the Letourneau Home, where the culinary herb garden is located.

Bourbonnais, Illinois · United States