“Jardin a l’anglaise”
The most outstanding feature of the Chateau de Villandry consists of its gardens, which are replicas of the original 14th-century jardín à la francaise, which were destroyed in the 19th century in order to create what was the fashion at the time, an English landscape garden.
It was a man of Spanish origin, Joaquín Carvallo, who from 1906 onwards devoted an enormous amount of time, money and care to create the gardens we see now. They show great respect for the original layout and the Chateau’s renaissance spirit.
The gardens are laid out over four terraces, the first of which, on the upper level, is the jardin du soleil, and on the lower levels are the jardin de l’eau, d’ornement and the jardín potager décoratif. The last of these, on the lowest level, is the most exceptional. It is a massive vegetable garden containing every kind of vegetable and aromatic and medicinal herb. It is laid out geometrically and according to colour like a beautiful tapestry.
The little dog that appears with me in the meadow is Pepe, our dachshund.
