Parc Floral d'Apremont

About the garden

The Parc Floral opened in 1976. Major works had been undertaken ahead of the opening day, including the damming of a valley to enable water to flow through a succession of ornamental pools. Pastures turned into lawns, flowerbeds and mixed borders, while rare trees were planted and a waterfall was built in an unused quarry. At the entrance of the garden, a border of shrubs and perennials was inspired by Vita Sackville-West’s White Garden in Sissinghurst, England.

In spring, long racemes of Chinese and Japanese wisteria form a scented archway leading to laburnums, clematis and pink acacias. The enchanting garden is decorated with follies. The Pagoda Bridge, with its fish-scale roof, transports visitors to China, while the Turkish Pavilion evokes the banks of the Bosphorus and the past splendours of the Ottoman Empire. The Belvedere, the last of these follies to be built, overlooks the river and the village. Its walls are decorated with eight panels depicting Pulcinella puppets from the Commedia dell’arte.