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Grandi Giardini Italiani Srl
Villa Erba - Cernobbio, Como - Italy
Les Plus Beaux Jardins
de France
Les Plus Beaux Jardins de France - (The Most Beautiful Gardens in France) - a network of gardens set up in 1998 to reveal a largely unknown botanical heritage to the public and to raise the art of gardening to the level of architecture and/or painting in the collective consciousness.
Each year the network undertakes numerous ventures such as:
- producing articles on the art of gardening or news regarding members of the network;
- organisation of events together with partners;
- promotion of the network through the creation of a digital community on the social networks.
Gardens belonging to the network of Le Plus Beaux Jardins de France are:
Parc floral d'Apremont-sur-Allier (Loire Valley)
The Apremont-sur-Allier floral park is a synthesis of the so-called ‘French style' architecture («à la française») and the English picturesque. Precision is united with mixed borders and the exotic inspiration of the pagoda-bridge, the symbol of this floral park.
Bambouseraie de Prafrance (Occitania)
The Prafrance Bamboo Garden was created 160 years ago by Eugène Mazel, a horticultural and natural sciences enthusiast. In 1856 he began to cultivate his first bamboo species, followed by other trees and plants from Japan, China, the Himalayas and North America. The Bambouseraie is now a unique botanical garden in France with a huge variety of bamboos and rare trees.
Château et les Jardins de la Ballue (Brittany)
The Ballue Palace gardens are one of those rare examples of the Mannerist style in France. They were created in the ‘70s, inspired by Mannerism and Futurism. They are reminiscent of Italian villas with terraced gardens and views over the landscape. From the first floor of the Palace there is a spectacular view over the bay of Mont Saint-Michel.
Château de Breteuil (Ile-de-France)
The Breteuil Palace is surrounded by a garden «à la française» and an English park. Everything in the palace and French garden evokes the friendship between Louis de Breteuil, minister to Louis XIV, and the famous author Charles Perrault.
Château de Chambord (Loire Valley)
Since 2017, after 14 years of historical research, visitors to Chambord Castle can stroll through the gardens «à la française» which have been restored to an early eighteenth century style. This is an unusual restoration involving the planting of 32.500 plants and 800 trees.
Château du Champ de Bataille (Normandy)
Spectacular is the key word when describing the Champ de Bataille Castle and Gardens. The baroque castle was built in the seventeenth century, probably by the royal architect Le Vau. The garden was possibly designed by Le Nôtre and certainly bears the mark of the maestro. Damaged over time, it has undergone extensive restoration maintaining its baroque imprint within a contemporary style in keeping with the genius loci.
Domaine de Chantilly (Ile-de-France)
The Domaine di Chantilly consists of different areas including the seventeenth century French garden, the eighteenth century Anglo-Chinese garden and the nineteenth century English garden. The French garden is a Le Nôtre creation. Of all the gardens designed by Le Nôtre, Chantilly is renowned as being his favourite.
Château de Chaumont-Sur-Loire (Loire Valley)
Chaumont-sur-Loire is famous for the International Garden Festival which has attracted gardeners and landscape designers of all nationalities since 1992. Innovation is the focus of the festival which changes theme each year.
Each year the network undertakes numerous ventures such as:
- producing articles on the art of gardening or news regarding members of the network;
- organisation of events together with partners;
- promotion of the network through the creation of a digital community on the social networks.
Gardens belonging to the network of Le Plus Beaux Jardins de France are:
Parc floral d'Apremont-sur-Allier (Loire Valley)
The Apremont-sur-Allier floral park is a synthesis of the so-called ‘French style' architecture («à la française») and the English picturesque. Precision is united with mixed borders and the exotic inspiration of the pagoda-bridge, the symbol of this floral park.
Bambouseraie de Prafrance (Occitania)
The Prafrance Bamboo Garden was created 160 years ago by Eugène Mazel, a horticultural and natural sciences enthusiast. In 1856 he began to cultivate his first bamboo species, followed by other trees and plants from Japan, China, the Himalayas and North America. The Bambouseraie is now a unique botanical garden in France with a huge variety of bamboos and rare trees.
Château et les Jardins de la Ballue (Brittany)
The Ballue Palace gardens are one of those rare examples of the Mannerist style in France. They were created in the ‘70s, inspired by Mannerism and Futurism. They are reminiscent of Italian villas with terraced gardens and views over the landscape. From the first floor of the Palace there is a spectacular view over the bay of Mont Saint-Michel.
Château de Breteuil (Ile-de-France)
The Breteuil Palace is surrounded by a garden «à la française» and an English park. Everything in the palace and French garden evokes the friendship between Louis de Breteuil, minister to Louis XIV, and the famous author Charles Perrault.
Château de Chambord (Loire Valley)
Since 2017, after 14 years of historical research, visitors to Chambord Castle can stroll through the gardens «à la française» which have been restored to an early eighteenth century style. This is an unusual restoration involving the planting of 32.500 plants and 800 trees.
Château du Champ de Bataille (Normandy)
Spectacular is the key word when describing the Champ de Bataille Castle and Gardens. The baroque castle was built in the seventeenth century, probably by the royal architect Le Vau. The garden was possibly designed by Le Nôtre and certainly bears the mark of the maestro. Damaged over time, it has undergone extensive restoration maintaining its baroque imprint within a contemporary style in keeping with the genius loci.
Domaine de Chantilly (Ile-de-France)
The Domaine di Chantilly consists of different areas including the seventeenth century French garden, the eighteenth century Anglo-Chinese garden and the nineteenth century English garden. The French garden is a Le Nôtre creation. Of all the gardens designed by Le Nôtre, Chantilly is renowned as being his favourite.
Château de Chaumont-Sur-Loire (Loire Valley)
Chaumont-sur-Loire is famous for the International Garden Festival which has attracted gardeners and landscape designers of all nationalities since 1992. Innovation is the focus of the festival which changes theme each year.
Château de Chenonceau (Loire Valley)
Chenonceau or ‘the Ladies' Castle' has been the residence of powerful women including Diane de Poitiers and Caterina de' Medici. The parterres «à la française», along the river banks, are dedicated to these two eminent women. The garden also boasts a maze, a green garden, a vegetable garden, and one dedicated to Russell Page.
Domaine de Courson (Ile-de-France)
The Domaine de Courson park is an example of the romantic style in France in the nineteenth century. Great names in the art of gardening have contributed to make Courson one of the most beautiful parks in France: Berthault, Imperial architect, the Bühler brothers, Ernest de Caraman, Timothy Vaughan and more recently Louis Benech.
Château de Saint-Jean de Beauregard (Ile-de-France)
The Saint-Jean de Beauregard Castle garden is one of the last stately vegetable gardens from the 1600s still existing in France. In every season the colours in the garden vary, creating a vegetable rainbow.
Château de Vaux-Le-Vicomte (Ile-de-France)
The Vaux-le-Vicomte gardens were the inspiration behind the creation of the Versailles gardens. Here André Le Nôtre established the main principles of the «à la française» style, applying new optical standards later to be amplified at Versailles, The Palace and gardens constitute a true work of art.
Château de Villandry (Loire Valley)
Villandry does not just offer one great garden, but several, each with its own style: the vegetable garden is inspired by the Renaissance, the herb garden and maze recall the Middle Ages, the Water garden is «à la française», the ornamental gardens are a fantasy of their creator, Joachim Carvallo, the Sun garden is a contemporary creation. Villandry's success lies in the extraordinary harmony between the different gardens and the Renaissance architecture of the Palace.
Eyrignac and it gardens (Dordogne)
The Eyrignac gardens are famous for the exceptional topiary collection of 300 botanical specimens pruned into different shapes by gardeners in the traditional manner: with shears. The gardens «à la française» are elegant and peaceful around the typical Périgord villa. The atmosphere changes abruptly in the bucolic gardens full of blazing colour.
Jardin des Cinq Sens (Yvoire) (Haute-Savoie)
The Five Senses Garden, sheltered by the mediaeval Yvoire castle walls, built on the shore of Lake Geneva, was designed in the 1980s in mediaeval style in keeping with the architecture of the castle. All the senses are aroused by the colour, scent, form and taste of the plants. Bird song and the splashing of the central fountain provide background music.
Ephrussi de Rothschild Villa & Gardens (Côte d'Azur)
In memory of the roaring twenties, the Baroness Béatrice de Rothschild built a pink palace, with gardens as extravagant as their inventor, on the wild isthmus of Cap Ferrat. The villa gardens are subdivided into eight gardens. The garden «à la française» is the main one around which seven smaller gardens are arranged, including an exotic garden, a Florentine garden and a rose garden with a stunning view over the Mediterranean.
Chenonceau or ‘the Ladies' Castle' has been the residence of powerful women including Diane de Poitiers and Caterina de' Medici. The parterres «à la française», along the river banks, are dedicated to these two eminent women. The garden also boasts a maze, a green garden, a vegetable garden, and one dedicated to Russell Page.
Domaine de Courson (Ile-de-France)
The Domaine de Courson park is an example of the romantic style in France in the nineteenth century. Great names in the art of gardening have contributed to make Courson one of the most beautiful parks in France: Berthault, Imperial architect, the Bühler brothers, Ernest de Caraman, Timothy Vaughan and more recently Louis Benech.
Château de Saint-Jean de Beauregard (Ile-de-France)
The Saint-Jean de Beauregard Castle garden is one of the last stately vegetable gardens from the 1600s still existing in France. In every season the colours in the garden vary, creating a vegetable rainbow.
Château de Vaux-Le-Vicomte (Ile-de-France)
The Vaux-le-Vicomte gardens were the inspiration behind the creation of the Versailles gardens. Here André Le Nôtre established the main principles of the «à la française» style, applying new optical standards later to be amplified at Versailles, The Palace and gardens constitute a true work of art.
Château de Villandry (Loire Valley)
Villandry does not just offer one great garden, but several, each with its own style: the vegetable garden is inspired by the Renaissance, the herb garden and maze recall the Middle Ages, the Water garden is «à la française», the ornamental gardens are a fantasy of their creator, Joachim Carvallo, the Sun garden is a contemporary creation. Villandry's success lies in the extraordinary harmony between the different gardens and the Renaissance architecture of the Palace.
Eyrignac and it gardens (Dordogne)
The Eyrignac gardens are famous for the exceptional topiary collection of 300 botanical specimens pruned into different shapes by gardeners in the traditional manner: with shears. The gardens «à la française» are elegant and peaceful around the typical Périgord villa. The atmosphere changes abruptly in the bucolic gardens full of blazing colour.
Jardin des Cinq Sens (Yvoire) (Haute-Savoie)
The Five Senses Garden, sheltered by the mediaeval Yvoire castle walls, built on the shore of Lake Geneva, was designed in the 1980s in mediaeval style in keeping with the architecture of the castle. All the senses are aroused by the colour, scent, form and taste of the plants. Bird song and the splashing of the central fountain provide background music.
Ephrussi de Rothschild Villa & Gardens (Côte d'Azur)
In memory of the roaring twenties, the Baroness Béatrice de Rothschild built a pink palace, with gardens as extravagant as their inventor, on the wild isthmus of Cap Ferrat. The villa gardens are subdivided into eight gardens. The garden «à la française» is the main one around which seven smaller gardens are arranged, including an exotic garden, a Florentine garden and a rose garden with a stunning view over the Mediterranean.
