CLATFORD VALLEY
gardening club
At the July meeting of the club, members were taken on a tour of some of the gardens of France by an excellent speaker, Rosemary Legrand. We started on the Cote d’Azure with the garden of the Villa Ephrussi, constructed by Beatrice de Rothschild who married a rich banker. However, the marriage was not a happy one and so she put her energy into developing the gardens which surround the villa. Each garden has a different theme, including a Moroccan garden, a French garden a Japanese garden and a rose garden. There are also musical fountains which play three different tunes. From the gardens there are extensive views over the nearby bay. Also, on the Mediterranean coast near Menton, is the garden ‘Serre de la Maddone’, created by Laurence Johnston, a wealthy American, best known for designing Hidcote. As at Hidcote, the garden is divided into compartments by hedges and walls. It occupies 17 acres and consists of terraced gardens and a Mediterranean forest. After his death it fell into neglect but has been restored and is open to the public.
We then moved to the Dordogne and the very different garden of Marqueyssac. This garden consists of pruned and shaped boxwood, forming circular paths leading to a belvedere overlooking the Dordogne river. Also, in the Dordogne is another topiary garden, the Jardin de Maria de Gignac. In this the topiary is formed from hornbeam, beech, box and yew. There is also a white garden and a wild flower meadow.
The 5 remaining gardens she described are all in the Loire valley. Firstly, the garden of the Chateau d’Angers with its parterre, and then the Parc Oriental de Maulevrier which is the largest Japanese garden in Europe. The main element of this garden is circulating water and it is full of symbols such as a red bridge, emphasising the sacredness of the place. Also, in the Loire valley is the Chateau de Villandry with ornamental gardens made up of both flowers and vegetables. The final two were those of the Chateau de Chenonceau and the Chateau du Clos Luce. The former belonged firstly to Diane Du Poitiers, the mistress of Henry II, who planted a flower garden of predominantly pink shades, and after Henry’s death, his widow, Catherine de Medici claimed the chateau and added a new series of gardens. The latter had several famous owners including Leonardo de Vinci, and the gardens contain features designed by him including a two-level bridge and a paddle wheel.
Rosemary illustrated her talk with some excellent photographs and everybody seemed to have enjoyed the meeting.
On 25thSeptember, Stephen Oakes will be giving a talk on ‘Birds in your garden’.
We then moved to the Dordogne and the very different garden of Marqueyssac. This garden consists of pruned and shaped boxwood, forming circular paths leading to a belvedere overlooking the Dordogne river. Also, in the Dordogne is another topiary garden, the Jardin de Maria de Gignac. In this the topiary is formed from hornbeam, beech, box and yew. There is also a white garden and a wild flower meadow.
The 5 remaining gardens she described are all in the Loire valley. Firstly, the garden of the Chateau d’Angers with its parterre, and then the Parc Oriental de Maulevrier which is the largest Japanese garden in Europe. The main element of this garden is circulating water and it is full of symbols such as a red bridge, emphasising the sacredness of the place. Also, in the Loire valley is the Chateau de Villandry with ornamental gardens made up of both flowers and vegetables. The final two were those of the Chateau de Chenonceau and the Chateau du Clos Luce. The former belonged firstly to Diane Du Poitiers, the mistress of Henry II, who planted a flower garden of predominantly pink shades, and after Henry’s death, his widow, Catherine de Medici claimed the chateau and added a new series of gardens. The latter had several famous owners including Leonardo de Vinci, and the gardens contain features designed by him including a two-level bridge and a paddle wheel.
Rosemary illustrated her talk with some excellent photographs and everybody seemed to have enjoyed the meeting.
On 25thSeptember, Stephen Oakes will be giving a talk on ‘Birds in your garden’.
