Une sortie au département de Loir et Cher: Day 3 - Chaumont-sur-Loire

If you want exhilarating and inspiring with a dash of whacky thrown in, then Chaumont is the place to go, any time April to October, for the annual International Festival of Gardens, which began back in 1992. The Chateau de Chaumont hosts the event. Contemporary garden designers from all over the world design to a specific theme, which changes annually. There are twenty-four gardens all of which are more or less the same size and shape. We usually go twice a year - early on and mid-way - to see how the gardens are developing and the impact that change has on the theme.  As well as the gardens, there are a series of out buildings which host different exhibitions, quite often photography and film. There is also a hot house, a misty walk way, a very good shop, and three different eateries. Everyone's taste's are pretty much catered for.

There were some new developments this year. From a practical point of view, the decision to put all the eateries under cover was a good one, and they remained garden focussed, with seating now inside very elegant glass greenhouses. The more interesting surprise was the opening up of eight new gardens in a completely different section of the Chaumont site. 

As well as preparation for the gardens themselves, a new bridge had to be designed, constructed and installed above a main road to safely link the two sites.  We'll have a closer look as this part when we go back in a few months time.

This year the theme was Sensation. Like everywhere else, Chaumont hasn't had the type of weather to help push the gardens along. In previous years growth is well underway by now, but this time not, so it was too early to get a sense of the theme from all the gardens. However there's loads else to appreciate - the sheer skill of concept and construction; the planting, colours and textures.  

The choice and use of materials is also interesting and so intrinsic to the design. Some of the gardens are very open in layout, in some respects they are planted in a traditional way, so that everything is apparent. Whereas other gardens as in this photo, depended on the successful construction of a timber frame to help provide the sensation of movement. It also offered intriguing angles and shapes to be planted into, so breaking up the hard surface of the timber. These gardens are particularly interesting. They are really living sculptures, constantly changing as the plants follow their individual cycles so reaching maturity, then dying off and new growth emerging. So looking forward to going back.