Garden in the French style

(also "formal garden")
In the XVIIth century the celebrated Le Nôtre created the French style, formal, garden, drawing its inspiration from strict geometrical patterns and offering broad perspectives with mirrors of water and an intricate lay-out of beds and hedging extending from the terrace of the château. Here are numerous such formal gardens in the French style in the Ile-de-France region : the grounds of Vaux le Vicomte, (Le Nôtre’s first achievement), Versailles, Sceaux…

Mirrors and parterres

Parterres and mirrors of water are the principal characteristics of the formal garden in the French style. The mirrors are vast man-made lakes or pools in which the château and the light from the sky are reflected. Parterres are beds of flowers, shrubs and low hedging laid out in intricate geometrical pattern.

Garden in the english style

(also "landscaped gardens")
With more relief and undulating terrain, the English-style garden is an expression of greater whimsicality and a desire to return to nature : low hills, rocks, tall trees, streams, waterfalls and temples in the style of antiquity. The aim was to recreate natural effects in the garden and awaken an emotional response and an inclination to reverie.

Medieval garden

A number of such gardens fostered quiet meditation or served useful pharmaceutical purposes, and in among their small lawned areas surrounded by walls you can still find medicinal herbs being cultivated. Abbeys had many cultivated areas within the enclosure : vegetable garden, aromatic and culinary herbs, medicinal plants, orchard, fields of cereals…
For instance, the Abbey of Royaumont has 9 beds marked out by low chestnut hurdles.

Romantic grounds

In the XIXth century the spirit of Romanticism was predominant and the atmosphere of reverie and sensibility associated with that movement can still be felt in a large number of sites, such as in the grounds and trees of the Vallée-aux-Loups, the retreat of Chateaubriand, and Courson. At Jeurre, the ruins rise up out of the trees along the avenues in the grounds, and the great trees at Chamarande are refleted in the waters of the lakes and pools.

Contemporary garden

Extraordinary in design, demonstrating technical skills and bringing together exquisite and rare specimens of trees, shrubs and plants… these gardens prensent a wide diversity of different styles in their re-shaped landscapes, enhancing the sites on which they have been created.