May 2025 List
Parisian Flowers and the Michelin Guide
May was finally one long month. Not January-long, but long enough to make you notice: “It’s still May.” Paris is encore all in flowers, and I love noticing how they change every month. In March, we had magnolias. In April, cherry, apricot, apple, and pear trees bloomed. Then came the pink and rose chestnuts in early May—and now, the whole city is covered in roses.
The abundance of warmth and sunshine is bringing out the jasmine and the first linden flowers, though they’ll be in full bloom in a week or so.
I read in one of my books on David Hockney that he moved to Normandy because of all the flowers he could draw and paint. So much thoughtfulness goes into the design of French spaces—both landscapes and cityscapes—and we could all learn a lot from that.
If I look out the window right now, I can see a powder-pink rose leaning onto a nearby bank. A bit further away are pale pink and white rose bushes. Somebody wanted to make me, a r…
