Gardens Near and Far episode 26: the Domaine du Rayol is a surprising 20-hectare garden in which exotic plants live in harmony with Mediterranean scrubland.
Contemporary landscape gardener Gilles Clément gave the garden its current diversity. With his concept of “planetary garden”, he revolutionised the way gardens are perceived. Certain species have adapted to the Mediterranean environment thanks to age-old strategies revealing the incredible intelligence of the vegetal world.
Landscape architect Jean-Philippe Teyssier takes us on a discovery of the most beautiful gardens in France and the world. The gardeners, landscapers, horticulturalists, architects, historians and estate managers he meets unveil the art of gardening. They show us how gardens have been designed, planted and maintained over the centuries. The exceptional gardens Jean-Philippe Teyssier visits make up a myriad of passions, journeys, colors and shapes.
Gardens Near and Far episode 26 – Domaine du Rayol
The garden was first created in 1910 by Parisian businessman Alfred Theodore Courmes when he built his retirement home on a promontory overlooking the Baie du Figuier. In addition to a small farm on the site (1909), he constructed his first house (1912, subsequently the Hotel de la Mer) and later his second house (Rayolet, 1925), as well as a picturesque bastidon and pergola (1910). This earliest garden contained agaves, eucalyptus, heathers, mimosa, palms, and other Mediterranean trees.
In 1940 Mme. Courmes sold the property to aeronautical engineer Henry Potez, who restored the buildings and built a staircase from the pergola down to the sea. With a staff of ten gardeners, the garden was extended and improved, and by 1948 contained nearly 400 species. However it subsequently fell into neglect and was abandoned by the late 1960s.
In 1989 the site was acquired by the Conservatoire du Littoral, and landscape gardeners Gilles Clément and Philippe Deliau began a thorough redesign to create today’s garden. The garden now contains a number of areas dedicated to plants of the Mediterranean basin, the Canary Islands, South Australia and New Zealand, the coasts of California and Chile, South Africa, Argentina, Mexico, and Asia.
