Valloires Abbey: Gardens & Music FestivalAn inspirational garden

The English garden has always been an aspiration for any French gardener. It is popularly believed that les Anglais have green fingers and are deeply knowledgeable about gardens, partly because of climate and partly because gardens are assumed to be a favourite pastime.

But there are times when gardens in France can be just as aspirational and enviable for us. The gardens of the Abbaye de Valloires in northern France, on the Pas-de-Calais/Somme borders a mere 1½ hours drive from Dunkirk, are just one example of a glorious ornamental garden that’s very much worth a visit.

The 8-hectare gardens lie at the foot of the former Cistercian Abbey at Argoules in the lush Authie Valley. They were designed just 21 years ago, in 1987, by internationally renowned landscape gardener Gilles Clément, to provide a home for some 4,000 rare species of shrubs. Roses have retained a key place in the gardens’ evolution over the years. There is a French-style garden, and an "English Garden" too of course; Marsh Gardens; A Garden of the Senses (feel, touch and smell) – with conservation and education playing an important role. Plants from the Far and Near East make up a significant proportion too of the collection (now over 5,000).

 

Valloires FestivalAn exciting calendar of events

The gardens of the Abbaye de Valloires are famed too for their frequent cultural – and horticultural – events that take place regularly each year. It’s always worth checking on their website to find out what’s next on the agenda. But here are a few forthcoming highlights.

  • August 8 to 13: Music Festival at Valloires (Chamber Music) – now in its third year. This year’s programme focuses on Schubert and Britten, with tenors Mark Padmore and Ian Bostridge, and pianists Julius Drake, Cedric Tiberghien and Paul Lewis. Imogen Cooper gives a solo recital again this year. The festival attracts an enthusiastic international audience of music-lovers. There’s a giant picnic too for  festival-goers. All details on the English Valloires Music Festival website (you can book on line too).
  • July 10-August20: Edible weeds! Some useful tips on how to identify and prepare them. Bon appétit!
  • July 28-August 10: Hydrangea festival. Over 150 varieties. Some available for purchase.

Practical information

  • Getting there: 133km from Dunkirk mainly on motorway (A16); one hour 30 minutes.
  • Address: Jardins de Valloires, 80120 Argoules.Tel: +33 (0) 3 22 23 53 55. Website (in French and English): http://www.jardins-de-valloires.com/
  • Open: 10 March to 11 Nov 2008 from 10am to 5pm daily – and from 10am to 6pm between 01 May and 16 Sept.
  • Garden shop: Rare plants, seeds, specialised bookstore, a variety of rose-based products, beautifully illustrated works and more.
  • Restaurant: La Table du Jardinier where you can sit on the terrace or close to a traditional wood-burning stove. The cuisine draws on what’s growing in the gardens: be tempted by iced tisanes, rose or violet sorbets, seasonal fruit tarts, endive tatin – each season bringing its own surprises.
  • Admission: 10/03-30/04: adults 6.50€; children 6-16 years 4.30€. 01/05-16/09: adults 7.50€; children 6-16 years 4.80€. 17/09-11/11: adults 5.70€; children 6-16 years 4€.