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Le Jardin Anglais is now acknowledged as one of the finest private
gardens in France. It was the vision of Alan Mason, a leading English
Landscape gardener and television host to create an English style
garden in all its colour and dishevelled splendour that would profit
from the comfort of the warm continental climate. From a ramshackle
Breton vegetable plot and forest of poplar trees, Alan forged his
design and now 15 years on, with more than 10 000 varieties of plants
many rare and exotic, the garden has come of age. His work was the
subject of a television series that captured the imagination of many.
Offering colour for all seasons, its boasts a rosary of some 360
David Austin English Roses that flower from May to November, a
Mediterranean garden, arboretum , bamboo copse and herbaceous borders
decorating the English formal lawns. Paths and streams meander through
the woodland gardens with surprises and vistas around every corner,
leading to an Asian themed island and lake to which trout return every
year.. The main lake linked as it is with the River Vilaine is a haven
for local wildlife, included, kingfishers, herons, ducks and even
coypu. The Garden is under constant development and this year has seen
the addition of an aromatic garden, Clematis walk and the beginnings of
a wildflower meadow.
The garden has attracted visitors from all over the world, many
comparing its beauty to that of Monet’s garden near Paris, and remains
open to the public at various times of the year. |
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