Chaumont Garden Festival

In September I went on holiday to Normandy and the Loire, and I went and checked out the show Gardens at Chaumont-sur-Loire. This years theme was 'Gardens of the Memory'. It was really interesting to see how diverse the designs that stemmed from this theme were. The following are photos of some of the design elements I liked in the gardens showcased this year.


The Show is situated
in the grounds of
this amazing Chateau




Mass planted ferns contrast well with the metal structure








This was a garden designed by
textile students. The design was
not brilliant, but I did like how the
fabric highlights the qualities
of this plant (achillea?)








This was a garden of recycled materials.
I like this as a use of aggregate in a concrete wall.





Nice pale stone
in the gabions






The following photos are of the two gardens that I thought were the most successful. The 'boxes' you see in this first picture were made of concrete, cor-ten or plywood and were of varying shapes and sizes, placed around the space. Each box represented memories of different stages in our lives. The materials deteriorated (or not) at different rates, symbolising how our grasp on our memories changes over time. The idea was very well conceived, and the spaces within the garden were very successful. The planting reinforced the concept.



The next 3 photos are of my favorite garden at the show. The design was based on two infinite loops, like mobius strips which never interconnect. Now that I come to think of it, this idea was never really linked to the 'memory theme' very successfully, although I am sure it could be. However it was the most successful garden in terms of structure, planting, circulation and materials (in my humble opinion)









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