On the first access door to the Brède Castle, Montesquieu had this quotation from Horace engraved: “O countryside, when will you see me again?”. It must be said that the philosopher was particularly fond of the art of the garden and that he left us a beautiful park in which to stroll. Take some plant beauties inherited from our illustrious, add a floral note bequeathed by our English ancestors and mix everything with plant compositions from wine castles and you will find that the Gironde has some surprises in store for you in terms of parks and gardens.
The Remarkable Gardens of Gironde
Let's first discover the classified jewels Remarkable Gardens by the Ministry of Culture, just that!
Majolan Park, our favorite
At the risk of sounding a little blue flower (but we assume), we find this park highly romantic. It must be said that its “follies” which date from the 2008th century will delight the most refractory: imitation rockeries, pastiches of castle ruins and artificial caves give the place an air of enchanted decor. Special congratulations to the architect Graziella Barsacq who knew how to re-enchant the whole in XNUMX.
The Vintage Garden at Château Larrivet Haut-Brion, the spirit of the vine
This is a beautiful combination of modernity and the art of plants in this world-famous wine chateau! We are conquered by the compositions which recall the notes of wine, just as much as by the alignments of red stakes. There reigns in this place a deep serenity in which we recommend that you melt as soon as possible.
The Garden of the Golden Bottom, an ode to nature
The Fronsadais with its hilly vineyard landscapes, bordered by the Dordogne river, is already a pretty invitation in itself. The Jardin du Fond d'Or, whose name announces the enchanting side, is the extension to discover absolutely. A real walk in the heart of a valley where we draw inspiration from Japan to amaze the visitor. Here the art of the garden is cultivated as a family!
The garden of Chateau Pierrail, the incredible nugget
We take you to Margueron, not far from Sainte-Foy-la-Grande, to visit this treasure, not well known enough for our taste. The word that best describes this garden is “elegance”. We evolve in the pure French style with its line-trimmed boxwood and classic statuary, and, here and there, delicate touches of rose. For a bit, you would take yourself for a queen or a king in the alleys of Versailles.
Chavat Park, class!
Here marble and bronze reign supreme! What more can I say except that it's beautiful? A sort of open-air museum inspired by the Italian Renaissance. But we must not forget the trees, stars of the field.
The delicacy of the Chavat park can be combined with a longer walk on the grounds of Podensac. To discover in our collection of hikes.
The Ginkgo selection
The volunteers of Gironde Horticultural Society also offer you their selection of gardens, labeled one to three Ginkgo leaves, in reference to Ginkgo Biloba, a tree that has existed for 200 million years and whose oldest representative is 750 years old!
We share with you some of their nuggets and let you discover the others on their website.
- The Clozet Garden in Floirac (3 Ginkgo leaves)
- The rose garden of the Château de Loudenne (3 Ginkgo leaves)
- The park of Château Kirwan (2 Ginkgo leaves)
- Moulin de la Souloire (3 Ginkgo leaves)
Our favorite
The Botanical Garden of Bordeaux
Direction the right bank of the Garonne to discover the botanical garden. No, we are not mistaken. There is indeed a historic botanical garden on the left bank within Public garden. The one we suggest you visit was created in 2001. We particularly like the spaces dedicated to the environments of the greater Aquitaine basin: each islet is a reconstruction of a mini biotope. From the entrance on the Garonne side, you are charmed by the aquatic garden with its lotuses and water lilies. Further on, shared gardens, crop fields and greenhouses that can be visited. And since we're really not the type not to share our tips with you, we'll give you two: the place is ideal for reading in the sun and you can have a drink at the bar-restaurant. The rock which has just reopened with newcomers at the helm.
Go on ! Let's continue the walk in complete serenity with this selection of parks and gardens offered by our tourist offices.
