This little town is perched above the Mediterranean coast to the east of Toulon. It is a garden in early spring when the widely planted mimosas are all in flower. I visited in mid February 2017 with friends who know the south of France well.

The town is pretty with all the blossom, the cypresses, palms and pines at that time of year. Most are in private gardens but there are municipal spaces and a garden which surrounds the town hall – the Mairie. They have a collection of mimosas – and I use the term in the most general sense to cover genera such as Acacia and Albizia as well as Mimosa – and some other subtropical trees.

Here I spotted Acacia baileyana purpurea, a very attractive tree which survives much further north in my London garden, albeit in a reasonably sheltered south-facing site. It flowers usually in January, but it is nothing like the more spectacular green-leaved varieties. Its attraction is its lovely grey foliage which is purple when young.

The garden also included a flowering eucalyptus, which for me is not a common site.

And in among the pretty little houses of the village area you will find other exotic plants including fruiting citrus trees and climbers.

 

In short, Bormes-les-Mimosas is a lovely place to go in the middle of winter when the sun is weak and other gardens may be unappealing.