The Villandry Love Garden

It’s all about the Gardens

Chateau Villandry is a pretty French Chateau sitting just east of the confluence between the Cher and Loire rivers. But it’s the Villandry Renaissance Gardens that are the drawcard for tourists from around the world, and the Gardens are drop dead stunning!

We visited in early August, arriving about mid day and opted just to tour the Gardens. We had seen a number of spectacular Chateau interiors and exteriors already that week, but we knew from reports from family members that the Villandry Renaissance Gardens were a “ must visit”, and it is.

The history of the Chateau is intriguing, it being built in the 16th century, but by the 19th century the gardens it seems had taken on an English garden appearance with trees hiding the Chateau. A new owner, Joachim Carvallo , in 1906 sparked a return to a Renaissance Garden and the results today speak volumes of the dedication of that process.

Check out the web site for more detail on this, as the whole ethos and plan of the Renaissance Garden recreation is fascinating – www. ChateauVillandry.fr

Starting the tour

Villandry is really well organised. Great free car parking across the road from the Chateau entrance. Ticket Office to buy the tickets, get a nice map of the grounds, follow the signs and up a few internal stairs, maybe they are chestnut timber steps, do you think? And then we are up at the Bellevue, your Villandry Renaissance Garden tour vista is laid out before you and off we go.

Tour starts up these steps and left up through the Chateau
Bellevue first
Chateau front courtyard
The Love Garden
Water is recycled
Swans and Carp in the Lake
Sunny dahlias
Even topiary!
Conversation with Mr Frog
My favourite Italian Kitchen Garden

Tour Options & the Best Bit!

The map of the gardens suggests a series of loops to view the gardens and grounds. The longest takes one up through some woods and around the gardens, but you can just wander as you please. We took a sort of clockwise in and out wander, but the gardens their designs, maintenance and lay out are just magnificent, ENJOY!!!

And the best bit? It’s all amazing, but for me the best was the Italian Kitchen Garden, laid out so precisely, with vegetables, herbs, salads, pear trees, cooking apple trees espaliered neatly just to “ knee or waist level”, and flowers. Leaving me to wonder if I can espalier apple trees in the same way back for my veggie plot in New Zealand!!!!