Special Open Gardens in the Dordogne

Nothing is better than discovering the unexpected. We can be sure that there will be at least one big WOW every year on the weekend of Rendez-vous aux Jardins. With hundreds of gardens to choose from I narrow our adventure down to 4 or 5 hoping that we have the energy to make it to at least 3. Here are the three gardens that we made it to this year. All right here in our beloved Dordogne.

Forgive me all the photos.......

You will notice how important stone is to our environment. Even the color of the stone features in the landscapes.

Les Jardins de Cadiot   24370 Carlux
Open to the public most of the year
Over the past thirty years, a garden crazy family has created and maintained this extraordinary garden, which is nestled in an embracing valley. One wanders from room to room finding unexpected sculptures, rose gardens, formal and informal gardens, and woodland paths.

Les Jardins de l'Albarede   24250 Saint-Cybrabet

In lieu of classic garden style, landscape architecture finesse, and rare plants, this garden has personality.  A mixture of stones, wild flowers, borrowed views, clipped waves created from trees and shrubs found on the land, and eager amateur attempts at sculpture, this garden has an easy-going personal style.

Jardins du chateau de Veyrignac

Private home, only open to the public for this one weekend.

----except for a certain artist that had the cheek to ask if he could come paint.......

I can only say that my photographs do not even begin to show the elegance, grandeur, and intimacy of the gardens. These gardens and buildings demonstrate the true meaning of landscape architecture.

I'll keep you posted when Tom gets some painting done there!