A Bouquet of Secret Gardens
This, the Berry area of France, is the geographic center of the country. It also is one of the least known, least traveled regions, which makes it delightful for the visitor bent on discovery, as I was on my first visit in 1986. I’ve gone back just about every year, each time uncovering another element of the Berry’s treasure, its almost-secret gardens.
A circuit that takes in half a dozen of my favorites is a journey through centuries of gardening styles and traditions.
The first stop on my itinerary is the Priory of Notre-Dame d’Orsan, about 30 miles south of the city of Bourges.
Orsan is a good place to start because its garden is the oldest in style--a re-creation of a medieval garden, tucked behind the walls of a 12th century priory.
Two architects from Paris, Sonia Lesot and Patrice Taravella, bought and renovated the derelict property. Using medieval drawings and manuscripts, they reproduced methods and designs for shaping vines, hedges and raised beds.
“We copied Charlemagne’s list of plants (dated 812)--16 fruit and nut trees, 72 herbs and shrubs, and of course roses and lilies, symbols of the Virgin,” that the emperor decreed be grown in every village in his realm, Taravella says.
For 20th century gardeners, the symbolic meanings of flowers have been largely lost. But in ages past, plants were seen as embodiments of God’s generosity, and their variety conveyed a language of reverence and ritual as well as utility.
I hardly notice the time passing as I retrace my steps beneath vine-shaded arbors and rose-covered bowers, through changes of light and shade, among myriad fragrances and textures. The garden is separated into “rooms” formed by walls of hornbeam, plum and chestnut, and twice I get lost in the “kitchen’s” vegetable labyrinth.
I’ve seen gardens all over the world, but this is the most brilliantly done because it captures the medieval spirit, at once romantic and religious.
In contrast, Cha^teau Ainay-le-Vieil, a 20-minute drive east of Orsan, is known for an aristocratic style inspired by the Versailles gardens of Louis XIV.
As at Orsan, Ainay-le-Vieil’s gardens are in “rooms,” this time enclosed by 10-foot stone walls called chartreuses. These gave protection from thieves and animals (deer, wild boar, rabbits) and created a haven of tranquillity. The walls also hold in the warmth of the sun when the garden is in shadow.
I take my time wandering through the five rooms, each about 75 by 100 feet and designed with a theme or purpose: a bouquet garden for cut flowers, such as iris and delphinium; a sculpture garden with pear trees trained to form arches and fans; a meditation garden holding low boxwood hedges; a cloister harboring medicinal plants and, at the end, a white garden sparkling with iceberg roses and foxglove. Throughout, clematis scatter their bright star-like petals against the walls, and Pierre de Ronsard and other climbing roses thrive.
“The delicate scent of old [heritage] roses, the symbol of spring and life and happiness--such enchantment,” sighs the owner of the cha^teau, Marie-France de Peyronnet.
We are in Ainay-le-Vieil’s rose garden, which contains 200 varieties exhibited in rows. What a treat! Enthusiastically, I copy the names off labels, making a list of must-haves for my own garden. (French roses can be purchased in nurseries in the U.S.)
The names are so lovely and so very French--Comtesse de Murinais, Souvenir de la Malmaison (Josephine Bonaparte’s favorite rose) and Pierre de Ronsard, my favorite (called Eden in the U.S.), with its petals forming a tight bowl of soft pinks tinged with yellow.
As we walk toward the cha^teau’s 13th century fortifications of moat, walls and towers, Madame de Peyronnet points out tall trees--”cypresses from Louisiana imported by Queen Marie-Antoinette.”
I am amazed that in this countryside far from my homeland, I have come across trees imported from America.
Ainay-le-Vieil is one of the dozen grand private homes open to day visitors in the departement (county) of Cher, each with its own tales to tell of France’s culture and history. If you love antiques and art as I do, this definitely is the way to see them--in their original settings, where kings and queens have supped and slept.
Besides Ainay-le-Vieil, I recommend day tours of the Berry cha^teaux of Meillant, Menetou-Salon, Culan and La Verrerie, rich in Gothic and Renaissance art, furniture and architecture.
The northernmost point of my itinerary, about 25 miles north of Bourges, is the Renaissance Cha^teau de la Verrerie, where the Count and Countess de Vogue give a warm welcome to their paying overnight guests. My room, beautifully decorated with antiques and art, looks out over the cha^teau’s private lake and woods, which tempt me to a long ramble.
A few nights later I am at the nearby village of Ivoy-le-Pre, a guest at Cha^teau d’Ivoy. This 18th century cha^teau has been boldly and beautifully redecorated by owner Marie-France Goueffon.
From Ivoy I drive along back roads through the Sancerre wine country to Cha^teau de Villiers, about 20 miles east of Bourges.
The gardens of this 17th century cha^teau are more English in influence than French. The profusion of mixed flowers and shrubs is a departure from the structured French style of ornamental hedges and flowers organized into neat repeated patterns.
The personal touch of Francoise de Dreuzy, who owns the property with her husband, is everywhere. “I brought this rose from England, and all spring its arching branches are covered with these beautiful single, fragrant white flowers,” she said, introducing me to her exquisite Rosa sericea omeiensis.
Her choice of plants exhibits a painter’s palette with a gardener’s feel for texture. She adores pastel, white and pink roses, and gives them contrast with dabs of blue, red and yellow blooms studded among the foliage. I would love to achieve this Impressionist effect in my own garden with clematis and heritage roses instead of modern hybrids.
Every level of the garden is as captivating as the next. Above are delights of vine-covered pergolas with climbing roses and clematis, while below are hydrangeas, fountains, urns, birdbaths and a murmuring brook.
At Apremont, a few miles east, Count Gilles de Brissac is master of all he surveys. His estate, with a population of 55, is celebrated as one of France’s most beautiful villages.
“C’est le tout!” (it’s the whole) that interests him, he says. “Although the garden is closest to my heart and I designed it, I’m interested in all of it, the village, gardens, cha^teau, collection of carriages--the whole thing.”
Passing the cluster of beautifully restored and occupied medieval cottages, I stroll through a virtual tunnel of white wisteria, inhaling deep breaths of the sweet fragrance. Borders brimming with mixed flowers complement a background of old cottage walls. I stop to admire pink peonies that are so perfect they look as though they are pleased with themselves. One area of the gardens is planted all in white, with dianthus, campanula, mock orange, foxglove and lupine.
Apremont’s cha^teau offers an impressive array of art and antiques, and its park is full of surprises: Here a Turkish pavilion floats on a lake, there a red Chinese bridge arches over the water.
Back near the beginning of my itinerary is Nohant, the home of George Sand (1804-1876), author of 80 novels and the lover of Chopin (among others). She adored the Berry countryside: “I prefer a nettle in my own country to a beautiful oak in another country.” The tour of her manor made me want to read her novels; unfortunately, I saw her garden only through the blur of a hard rain.
In addition to the wealth of gardens and cha^teaux, the Berry is rich in its diversity of attractions. There are frequent site-relevant concerts in summertime, such as recitals of Chopin held at Nohant; there is wine-tasting in Alphonse Mellot’s cellar in Sancerre; browsing antique shops and weekly markets in the villages; and visiting porcelain factories in Foecy and Mehun-sur-Yevre.
In Gien, on the Loire, I find a prize, a set of plates named “Jardins Secrets” (secret gardens).
(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)
GUIDEBOOK
Berry Blossoms
Getting there: Summer (June 16-Aug. 31) fares from LAX to Paris, nonstop round trip, are $930 on American and Air France, $850 on AOM. Bourges is a 2 1/2-hour drive south of Paris.
A car is essential for touring the Berry. In my many visits, I’ve found the most economical rental for three weeks or more is offered by Renault Eurodrive. Its package includes a tax-free auto lease (rental) with unlimited mileage, insurance and the use of a brand-new auto. For rates, information and reservations from the U.S.: telephone (800) 221-1052.
Where to stay: Two elegant private chateaux that offer rooms for two for $100 to $350 a night: Chateau de la Verrerie, tel. 011-33-2-4881-5160, fax 011-33-2-4858-2125, e-mail laverrerie@wanadoo.fr; and Chateau d’Ivoy, tel. 011-33- 2-4858-8501, fax 011-33-2- 4858-8502, e-mail chateau.ivoy@wanadoo.fr.
Domaine de Vilotte near Ardenais is a B&B; a room for two with breakfast is $78 (request a private bath). Tel./fax 011-33-2-4896-0496.
English is spoken at all three.
Touring: The gardens and chateaux of the Berry are open from May into September, but their hours vary. The tourism office in Bourges has a “Secret Gardens” brochure, including map: 5 Rue de Serancourt, 18000 Bourges, France; tel. 011-33-2-4867-0018, fax 011-33-2-4867-0144.
The Web site (in French) for Cher has a schedule of music events at the chateaux: https:// www.berry.tm.fr.
In the U.S., France On Call hotline, tel. (410) 286-8310, has brochures on the Berry and gardens.
Other numbers: Chateau de Villiers, tel. 011-33-2-4880- 2142, fax 011-33-2-4880-2204; Apremont, tel. 011-33-2-4880- 4141, fax 011-33-2-4880-4517; Ainay-le-Vieil, tel. 011-33-2-4863-5067; Notre-Dame d’Orsan, tel. 011-33-2-4856-2750; Nohant, tel. 011-33-2-5431- 0604.
For more information: French Government Tourist Office, 9454 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 715, Beverly Hills, CA 90212-2967; fax (310) 276-2835, Internet https://www.francetourism.com.
