©The Gardens of the Château de Villandry|ADT Touraine - Loïc Lagarde

The 4 seasons of Touraine gardens Gardens to admire all year round!

From grand châteaux to charming guest houses, gardens redesign landscapes every season that are a pleasure to return to every year. The bare aspect of winter brings a form of purity; the structure of the garden reigns in majesty. Are you a dreamer? Then look forward to the beautiful days to come. So take the time to admire these landscaped creations, skilfully arranged by passionate gardeners. They make Touraine a destination to discover in every season!

Spring Garden Renaissance

With the first rays of March, the gardens of Touraine reveal their tender colours. Daffodils break through the still-fresh earth, followed by tulips. In the alleys of the Château de Valmer, the gardeners, true artists of the seasons, orchestrate this rebirth. The flowerbeds are adorned with new hues, while the first bees gather pollen from the multicoloured crocuses.

The remarkable gardens reveal their secrets: here a bed of irises in full bloom, there a collection of peonies about to bloom. The old roses of the village of Chédigny are preparing their grand return, a promise of intoxicating fragrances for the weeks to come.

©Haute Couture Gardens in Huismes|Jean-Christophe COUTAND-MEHEUT

The gardens of Touraine

Chédigny village jardin "Jardin Remarquable" et fleur d'or

Summer Vegetable gardens in Touraine

Admire the colourful Touraine vegetable gardens in full bloom! Heirloom tomatoes are decked out in their most beautiful hues, from deep red to sunny yellow. Gardeners share their organic growing secrets, handed down from generation to generation. In the carefully mulched aisles, courgettes, aubergines and peppers reveal their generous fruits.

The heady scent of basil mingles with the freshness of crisp salads. Climbing beans reach for the sky. In the heart, butterflies and bees forage relentlessly, precious guardians of these gardens of abundance.

Autumn/Winter

The autumn colours of the parks

The great parks of Touraine don their coats of gold and purple as soon as the first shivers of October arrive. The pathways are transformed into carpets of crunching leaves, where your footsteps echo in autumn’s softness. At the bend in the paths, the Japanese maples blaze while the hundred-year-old oaks adorn their branches in coppery hues.

In the parcs du Rivau and Valmer, the morning mists sublimate these ephemeral tableaux, creating an almost unreal atmosphere where the statues seem to come to life. A stroll through these gardens offers an ever-changing spectacle, where the low-angled light sublimates every detail of this autumnal palette.

Winter, the magic of sleeping gardens

Under the morning mist of December, frost lace adorns the paths of Villandry and Valmer with delicate white embroidery. These geometric compositions, usually masked by summer exuberance, now reign supreme.

In this season of apparent rest, the gardeners perpetuate their ancestral art. Between two frosts, they prune, protect and prepare for the spring awakening. The elegant silhouettes of the topiaries stand out against the pale sky, while the winter birds enliven these peaceful settings with their aerial ballets.