“Honey, let’s see…”

The French garden, absolute control

The garden for an architect gardener par excellence. Geometric, drawn with a line, regular and composed of classic trimmings and amenities such as statuary, pieces and water features, it was inspired by the Renaissance gardens of northern Italy. Structured and symmetrical, it plays on perspectives. Its objective is to domesticate nature and assert the supremacy of the human being. He embodies formal perfection. Like his august patron, Louis XIV, he expressed theatrical majesty and had a taste for spectacle. The gardens of the Palace of Versailles are the most famous and first of them. The closest to us and fabulous is undoubtedly that of Villa Éphrussi in Saint Jean Cap Ferrat. Bordered on either side by the Mediterranean Sea, this magnificent French garden introduces eight other wonderful landscaped spaces.

The English garden, romantic and poetic

Born with the English painters of the 18th century, the English garden defends the idea of a sovereign nature. Here, the balance of volumes without straight lines takes precedence over the geometric perspective defended by the French garden. The particularity of this artistic garden is that it offers a succession of interesting points of view over a landscape. Whether it is a river, a pond, a tree and its foliage, a meadow, a hill or a slope: each element is presented to better enhance the next. Designers exploit or incorporate rather than modify the natural features of the place. The reliefs become belvederes, the slopes become caves. The expanses are miniaturized to symbolize natural spaces and their functions. Thus the forest, source of firewood and construction, is represented by a grove; the meadow where the animals graze becomes grass. Nature is composed like a painting

with a palette of materials and plant colors. The English garden was immediately exported well to France. The Petit Trianon offered by Louis XVI to Marie-Antoinette is a fine example. Just like the English garden in Vesoul which is worth the detour. It presents on 3 hectares a magnificent collection of 850 plant species, sometimes very rare such as the handkerchief tree native to China, the snow tree native to North America or the Himalayan honeysuckle native to Asia.

The botanical garden, exotic and bucolic

Born during the Renaissance with navigators who explored the world and brought back unknown animals, spices and plants to their holds, the botanical garden was

designed to acclimatize and present the different species and varieties of wild and horticultural plants. Its goals are conservation, research, education and of course the entertainment of those who walk there. Here, plants are certainly classified and studied, but above all presented to the public to amaze them. Montpellier , Strasbourg, Paris each have a remarkable botanical garden, but did you know the Vauville botanical garden ? Nestled 300 m from the Normandy coast, this extraordinary garden is made up of evergreen plants from the southern hemisphere. They were collected and brought together on the castle grounds in 1948 by a sailor-perfumer with a passion for botany. Favored by the gentleness of the Gulf Stream, the vegetation has naturally adapted by avoiding growing too high to remain sheltered from the salt spray! A beautiful lesson in wisdom and a wonderful invitation to travel.

The remarkable garden, absolutely enchanting

An entire program ! This label awarded by the General Directorate of Cultural Affairs (DRAC) rewards both the botanical and aesthetic quality as well as the historical interest of the garden as well as maintenance management and respect for the environment. In fact it is often a wonderful cocktail of gardens which happily combine all styles: French, English, contemporary, botanical and even vegetable garden. Like the Haute-Bretagne botanical park in Châtellier which tells the story of the magic of life on 25 hectares. History, poetry, geography: we travel the world through essences. Spring, summer, autumn, whatever the season we follow the blooms. Azaleas, kalmias, rhododendrons, dogwoods enchant us. All our senses are alert. Above all, don't miss the labyrinth made up of multiple species of camellias: magical!

The ideal, utopian or saving garden?

This is the challenge launched this year to designers of green spaces for the thirtieth anniversary of the international garden festival of Chaumont sur Loire. Is it a work of art? a nourishing vegetable garden? a therapeutic space? a place of organic cultivation? Ask the organizers. Awakening of the senses or consciousness? Don't try to choose. The answer can be discovered in person at the Chaumont sur Loire estate until November 6, 2022. Expect the incredible. This gathering is a true incubator of talent and a laboratory of innovative ideas. We owe him, among other things, vertical gardens, green walls or woven willows transformed into gardens...

Once again it is certain, the extraordinary gardens will never cease to surprise and even amaze you.