Venturing through the gates into the first courtyard one had an 'Oh Wow' moment. This place had presence..serious presence. Going through to the Reception area .the tea room as my tour guest and I were advised, the sense of arriving in a most exquisitely styled interior distracted us from the process of paying the entrance charge. Out into the second courtyard and one was definitely entering a grand and stunning garden.
The first impression we rounded a wing of the Chateau to see the full vista was one of awe. Another dose of Oh Wow ! This was another Vaux le Vicomte not yet on the radar of the gardenvisting tourist world. No one else was there except a handful of gardening staff. We had it all to ourselves !
The garden is basically an intriguing juxtapostion between a traditional grand French formal garden attributed to Andre Le Notre [of Versailles and Vaux le Vicomte fame] and some very up-to-date gardens around the central axis, designed by Head Gardener Patrick Pottier. This blog, through pictures, will touch on the central formal axis. Words don't really do it justice ..jsut enjoy the views ! [ Apologies for the slightly dull lighting ..the rains fell intermittantly as we walked the gardens. ]
The second part to this blog is published in August.
If a trip to visit this and other stunning gardens in Normandy is of interest, get on your email and let me know adam.hodge@oxfordbotanica.com. I can take you on an unforgetable tour ... Great gardens, food, wine the works !
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