Jardin des Plantes, Paris

.Size of the garden: medium

. Type of the garden: city park
. The entrance is free except for the entrance fee for the greenhouse.

. Photos were made in May 2013.

May is a perfect month to visit as the rose garden is in full blossom.
Imagine a poet walking through the rose vault!
Rainer Maria Rilke was one of those poets as his famous poem The Panther is subtitled In Jardin des Plantes because of a nearby zoo.
The rose garden is officially called Jardin de Roses et de Roches (The Rose and Rock garden). This part of the garden is not very old however, it is my favorite.
Don't forget to visit the other parts of the garden - especially an alpine garden and a big greenhouse are worth a visit. The alpine garden is a very old garden renewed in the 20th century. It contains a collection of alpine flowers from all over the world among which the pistachio tree is one of the oldest. Garden consists of 11 other different units from an ecological garden to an iris garden.

If you are visiting Paris you can also visit Jardin de Luxembourg and Bois de Vincennes. Giverny and Versailles are of course also not far away.

The Rose and Rock Garden

The Alpine garden

Bois de Vincennes, Largest City Park in Paris

. size: large

. city park, free entrance

. photos from June 2013

The temple of love lies on an island on Lac Daumesnil and is accessible by boat.

Renting boats is a popular activity in Bois de Vincennes similar as in Retiro Park in Madrid.

Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris

. size: medium - large

. photos from June 2013

Medici fountain by Francini

The history of Luxembourg gardens starts in 1612, when Maria de Medici ordered Boyceau to design a garden in front of the Luxembourg palace. The fountain in the picture is the only original part of the historic garden. Other parts were influenced by baroque and later renovations.

Jardin Exotique de Roscoff

. open to public, entrance fee

. size: medium

. photos from May 2017

Birds are an important part of Roscoff Garden's soundscape.

The blue garden furniture along with a collection of succulents, cacti and yuccas makes a specific garden tone.

View from the uphill part of the garden

Villandry Chateau Renaissance Gardens

. size: large

. open to public, entrance fee

. photos from May 2017
. the original garden was reconstructed at the beginning of 20th century

The ornamental garden, also called jardin'd amour. It contains four squares representing: 

- tender love (hearts with pink/orange flowers),

- passionate love (12 broken hearts with colorful flowers),

- fickle love (butterflies and horns with white/yellow flowers),

- tragic love (swords with red flowers).

Pavillon de l'Audience

The kitchen garden behind the ornamental garden

Vegetables are grown in nine squares of the kitchen garden (jardin potager). Vegetables are planted in March and June.

Villandry chateau jardins also contain a maze, a herbal garden and the Sun garden with a fountain.

Garden of Chambord Castle, France

. size: large

. open to public

. photos from May 2017

. the garden was overgrown with weeds in the past, the replanting started in 2016

Chenonceau Castle Garden, France

. size: medium

. open to public, entrance fee

. photos from May 2017

Garden of Catherine de Medicis

Don't miss flower arrangements inside the castle.

Chenonceau Castle as viewed from the Diana's garden. Diana Potiere owned the castle in 16th century. She was the one who ordered castle's bridge across the river.

There are also some cottage gardens and a vegetable garden near the entrance to Chateau Chenonceau.

Wisteria in the more rustic part of the castle park

Garden Festival in Chaumont, France

. every year from April to November

. Photos from May 2017

. Photos from The 26th Garden Festival in Chaumont

The soft structure of bamboo leaves makes this contrast composition harmonious.

Unity is achieved by the use of wood in the natural environment.

Next to the exhibition of contemporary gardens, there is also the old garden of Chaumont Castle.

Fondation Monet in Giverny

. size: medium

. open to public, entrance fee

. photos from May 2017

Claude Monet's house

The garden is divided into to parts. The fist part lies in front of the house and consist from straight lined flower beds.

Close up of one of the flower beds in the first part of the garden as seen in May.

The second part of the garden is the famous pond with a green Japanese bridge and oriental plants.

The famous pond where Monet painted his Nympheas. In the beginning of May there were no water lilies blooming, but there was a wisteria hanging down from the pergola over the green bridge.

Jardins du chateau de Versailles

. open to public, entrance fee

. size: big (garden axis is 3 km long)

. photos from June 2013

Versailles garden was made by architects Le Notre and Le Vau and painter Le Brune. The three of them also made a garden in Vaux le Vicomte for the finance minister Foquet. Versailles is bigger and more magnificent than Vaux le Vicomte but its parts look less connected. 

The orangery

Close up of a pattern

One of many fountains. Do not miss the fountains show (grandes eaux) when visiting the garden. 

Grotto des Bains d'Apollon (Apollon's bath). It was first located in a bosco and later moved in a romantic environment of an artificial cliff. 

The pyramid fountain

Les Jardins d'Etretat, France

. size: medium

. open to public, entrance fee
. made by IL NATURE landscape architects

. photos from May 2017

The futuristic garden of Etretat offers a collection of contemporary art.

Views on Etretat Cliffs

The green sculptures 

Mushroom sculptures detail

Led Jardins d'Etretat are subdivided into The Avatar Garden, The Emotion Garden, The Power Garden, The Orchid Garden, Garden of Sounds, The Parnasse Garden ...