
> Marais Poitevin: ‘Green Venice’
The Marais Poitevin in Southern Vendée is a place unlike any other. It is har...
The Pays de la Loire is clearly a region with a green touch!
Known as the ‘Garden of France’, its horticultural legacy goes way back in time. The region benefits from a rich history and temperate climate and has become France’s top producer of potted plants, bedding plants, ornamental shrubs and lilies of the valley. There’s certainly an affinity between British gardening enthusiasts and their French counterparts. Explore grand gardens at chateaux, historic botanical gardens in cities and Terra Botanica, the newest kid on the block and the world’s first theme park dedicated to plants!
For everyone who loves parks and gardens, here’s a brief overview that should stimulate your senses!
You will be spoilt for choice from the manicured châteaux gardens to the Loire-Anjou-Touraine Natural Park where you can commune with nature. The choice, just like the luxuriant, meticulously selected plant life, is abundant in Pays de la Loire. From north to south and east to west, there’s something for everyone!
Perhaps you have a yearning for château life? If so, you’ll be enchanted by Le Lude, Craon, Brissac, and many others. Romantic souls will especially appreciate the Garenne-Lemot park where you will feel that you have been spirited away to Italy. For a completely different experience, visit the Marais, Petit-Bordeaux, Manoir de la Massonière and Pellerine gardens, which radiate an intimate charm. If you are a science buff, the Jardin des Plantes de Nantes and the Angers Arboretum are ‘must sees’; you can spend hours exploring beautiful botanical collections. In Chemillé, you will find more than 350 medicinal and aromatic plant species. The Chemin de la Rose, near Doué-la-Fontaine, has an amazing tunnel of scents and both the medieval garden in Bazoges-en-Pareds and the Jardin des Olfacties have created their own magical worlds.
So much to chose from and so little time! You’ll be sure to want to plan another visit…
For more information: Parks-and-gardens-in-Pays-de-la-Loire-France
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