landscaping

Gardens Near and Far episode 16 – La Roche Guyon: Partly dug out in the chalk cliffs along a bend in the River Seine, the castle of La Roche Guyon overlooks an outstanding vegetable and fruit garden.     Developed by Duke Alexandre de la Rochefoucauld in the early 18th century, this garden, which as well as being a place of production and experiment is also a pleasure garden, reflects the spirit of the Enlightenment. Still today, alongside the garden’s strict geometrical lines there is an innovative approach to the choice of plantations and gardening techniques.   Gardens Near and […]

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

Gardens Near and Far ep. 5 – Blenheim, UK: In 1705, architect John Vanbrugh and gardener Henry Wise designed the garden in Blenheim, in Britain. It symbolised the political and military power of the Duke of Marlborough. Sixty years later, Capability Brown reworked the estate, reshaping the landscape into the image of a romantic painting.     Gardens Near and Far ep. 5 – Blenheim, UK   An eighteenth century house and park with a nineteenth century garden. The palace, designed by Vanbrugh c1705, was the nation’s reward to the first Duke of Marlborough for his victories over Louis XIV.