The British are known for being a nation of gardeners, but did you know that the French are just as enthusiastic and obsessive about their gardens?!
The French equivalent of the British Chelsea Flower Show is the International Garden Festival at the Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire.
Each year, a series of conceptual gardens are created, chosen from hundreds of proposals from designers around the world, and presented at the Chaumont Festival over a period of six months.
More than twenty astonishing gardens, the most innovative, original, beautiful and sensational creations come to life in the fabulous setting of the Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire. Located 200 km south of Paris, between the towns of Tours and Blois, and home to a beautiful castle dating from the 10th century.
Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire perfectly illustrates both the defensive architecture of its time and the architecture linked to Renaissance leisure activities.
The palace, which belonged to Queen Catherine de Medici and then to Diane de Poitiers, reached its peak at the end of the 19th century thanks to Prince and Princess de Broglie. The royal couple designed magnificent modern stables, with the help of the Hermès house, and entrusted Henri Duchêne, landscape architect, with the creation of a landscaped park.
You will also discover the magnificent permanent gardens of the Château: the farm gardens, the white rose garden, the vegetable garden, the children’s garden and many other different themes.
The icing on the cake is to visit the Castle, the contemporary art exhibitions and the park open all year round.
Visit the International Garden Festival at Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire from April to October.
Visit www.domaine-chaumont.fr for more details.
Learn more about the fabulous gardens of France.
