open the doors to an exceptional Japanese garden, developed in just 3 years

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Who could have imagined that on the outskirts of the village of Favières (Seine-et-Marne), at the end of a path not yet paved, one of the most amazing gardens in the surrounding areaand maybe even Seine-et-Marne? Impossible to admire it from the street, you still have to push through an imposing metal gate then go around a small warehouse to be able to enjoy it.

Once arriving there, the visitor comes face to face with Japanese statues. In a way, these set the tone for what awaits us next. After a brief glance, you could believe yourself to be almost 10,000 kilometers away, land of the rising sun.

The crush

Sandrine Milic then comes to meet you. Landscaper for over 20 yearsthe latter let her passion express itself on part of this 18,000 m² plot of land that she acquired less than three years ago. “Basically, I was looking for land to establish my warehouse,” she explains. When I found this place, I immediately saw its potential. This is how my project was born to create a Japanese garden ».

And it must be said that imagination was required. Because this wooded plot, left abandoned, really had nothing to do with what it became. “It was quite dense wood. I have cut down quite a few dead and diseased trees, she confirms. But that’s not all. Several cubic meters of waste had to be extracted. The land was considered by some like a dump ».

I spend 80 hours a week there.

After purchasing it in 2021, this enthusiast of Japanese gardens immediately got to work. Between pruning, cutting and clearing, it took him a few weeks to finally see things more clearly. So, after two and a half years of intensive gardening, Sandrine has developed nearly 7,000 m² of land. No less than 6,000 topics were planted, including 200 azaleas, maples, pines and even bamboos. Ponds and rivers were also dug, not to mention the reliefs and paths she had to draw. “I pass by 80 hours per week. It’s simple, I’m here all the time. I devote myself fully to my passion,” she breathes.

Different spaces have therefore emerged on the property, alternating between settings with water and dry gardens where statues and lanterns emerge. And to immerse you definitively in Japanese culture, Sandrine tells you the myths and legends. “With Japanese culture, there is something to do,” she smiles, inexhaustible on the subject.

900 paying visitors

Open to the public by reservation for six months, the site called the Ryu Gardens (dragon in Japanese, editor’s note) has already seen nearly 900 curious people enter the doors of this impressive garden. “It’s a very good start, especially since it is far from finished. My goal for the year is to create small hills on almost 2,000 m²“, she says. Helped in her colossal task by Sonia, her friend of twenty years, two days a week, she estimates she will be able to complete the development of the site in two to three years.

In terms of comments, they are complimentary. “Some Japanese came to visit my garden and told me that they thought they were in Kyoto ! It’s a very nice compliment,” rejoices the landscaper.

In addition to free or guided tours, Sandrine invites you to have tea in a very zen space. She also calls on service providers for concerts, exhibitions, massages and even sophrology. Enough to allow you to enjoy this garden differently, and to come back to it. Because as Sandrine likes to say, “a Japanese garden can be visited every season”.

InformationThe Ryu gardens, Chemin de la Belle épine in Favières. Prices for visits and services on the site www.jardinsfavieres.fr

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