Gardens to visit in France

Emma Crawforth

Published: Monday, 18 December 2023 at 4:41 pm

Stylish and historic, the gardens of the Côte d'Azur are filled with drought-tolerant Mediterranean planting ideas. BBC Gardeners' World Magazine Gardening Editor, Emma Crawforth, shares some highlights.

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It won’t be a surprise if I say the many garden visits were the highlight of my trip last April to the Côte d'Azur. All were enjoyable and fascinating, but one stood out for me. In Le Jardin Serre de la Madone, Menton, I discovered a terraced garden carved into old farming land by Lawrence Johnston in the 1920s. Already the heir to Hidcote Manor in the Cotswolds, shortly before commencing his masterpiece Johnston had been so seriously injured in WW1 he’d been left for dead.

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Serre de la Madone, France

Johnston spent all his winters in Menton with summers at Hidcote until WW2. At Serre de la Madone, religious symbolism mixes with exotic plant collections from all over the world. Statuary, steps and pools frame the vegetation in a romantic but poignant landscape. I was entranced by the atmosphere of this garden and intrigued by the idea that plants were exchanged between here and Hidcote. The garden is open all year round except November and December.

Serre de la Madone, France

View over the gardens at Serre de la Madone, France

The botanic garden, Val Rahmeh in Menton provides a modern contrast and is managed by the National Museum of Natural History. A visit includes the chance to see unusual plants arranged creatively and labelled, with an optional audio tour. Checking the plant names prepares visitors for visiting other gardens in the region where you won’t have similar useful interpretation. More homely and nestled in a Grasse hillside is La Mouissone, an olive farm and garden where the English owner, Lady Lockett, gave me an exclusive tour with a fascinating chat about the local gardening community.

La Mouissone

Don’t miss out on the Festival des Jardins if you visit in spring 2025. Local towns, along with the tiny Principality of Monaco, compete for horticultural recognition and prizes, with highly creative pop-up contemporary gardens anyone can visit for free. The festival adds to the region’s ecotourism offer and highlights environmentally-friendly practices.

This region is known for its popularity with very wealthy travellers, so luxury is all around and my hotels (although ranging from simple to extravagant) were very comfortable and welcoming. You can enjoy local dishes in the artisan market of Nice or course after delicious course at La Môme, Cannes, but lunch on Île Saint-Honorat, a tiny island off Cannes, only populated by monks, was a simple, relaxed and calm treat. In a region packed with gardens to visit, the island reminded me of the natural beauty that attracted the first visitors to Côte d'Azur.

Factfile

Getting there: Emma flew courtesy of Easyjet and Wizz Air, via London Gatwick and Nice Côte d'Azur. It’s also possible to travel to Paris on the Eurostar and take a high-speed train to Côte d'Azur, where another rail line links the coastal towns
Where to stay: Auberge du Vieux Chateau, Cabris; Hotel Lemon, Menton; Hotel Montaigne & Spa, Cannes; Hotel Windsor, Nice
When to visit: Any time, the next (biennial) Festival des Jardins will be held April 2025

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