gardening

Gardens Near and Far episode 15 – Courances: Water is omnipresent in Courances, and it structures the landscape. The area’s trees give it a highly romantic character.     The estate stretches over 75 hectares of gardens and 500 hectares of farmland. In the 16th century, the owner Côme Clausse installed a revolutionary hydraulic system there. Whereas many gardens remain turned towards the past, the Courances estate, which is inhabited and open to modernity, is constantly reinventing itself.   Gardens Near and Far episode 15 – Courances   Courance is described, with justice, as ‘one of the lovliest gardens in […]

Gardens Near and Far episode 14 – Freyr:  designed in the style of André Le Nôtre in 1760 by Canon Guillaume de Beaufort-Spontin and enlarged by his brother Philippe in 1770, the gardens are set on walled terraces on the left bank of the Meuse. Freyr Castle and its timeless gardens stand in the heart of a natural site, in which a vast forest surrounds a series of breathtaking rocks and a river that sculpts the valley.     The same family has owned the castle since it was acquired by Jacques de Beaufort in 1410. During the French Revolution,

Gardens Near and Far episode 13 – Tête d’Or: opened in 1857 before the works were completed, the park was designed by the Bulher brothers, who came up with the smart idea of digging out a lake to sanitize the swampland.     Haussmann was busy transforming Paris at the time, and Lyon did not want to be left behind. Thanks to the area’s soil quality, a favourable climate and a wealthy bourgeoisie, which started to develop rapidly in the mid-19th century, roses became hugely popular, and rose breeders in Lyon were among the best in the world. In 1978

Gardens Near and Far episode 12 – Serre de la Madone: The discreet and elegant gardens of the Madonna’s Greenhouse are in the image of their creator, Major Johnston, an Englishman who was passionate about botany. A few kilometres away, Baroness Beatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild had her gardens landscaped into a place dedicated to worldly pleasures. These two gardens are now open to the public.     In the early 20th century, those among Europe’s largest fortunes took advantage of the mild climate from Nice to Menton to create magnificent gardens. Landscape architect Jean-Philippe Teyssier takes us on a discovery

Gardens Near and Far episode 7 – The Casa de Mateus baroque palace and grounds, nestle among vineyards near the Douro valley, in northern Portugal.     The Casa de Mateus estate has belonged to the counts of Albuquerque for over three centuries. Its wealth stems from cereals and wine production. Its crowning splendour is the impeccably maintained, constantly changing formal gardens, but the buildings, gardens, vineyards and orchards form a perfect whole, making this one of the finest and most historic gardens in Portugal and indeed in Europe.   Gardens Near and Far episode 7 – Casa de Mateus