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image credit: E. Sander for Domaine de Chaumont-Sur-Loire, France.
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The International Garden Festival on the grounds of the majestic 15th-century Chateau de Chaumont-sur-Loire in France has been around since 1992. I had the pleasure to attend several years back and cannot recommend it enough. Landscape designers from all over the world enter a competition and this year, 26 designer finalists from Spain to Japan are showing their vignettes (though I just noticed that my favorite garden spots featured here are mostly done by French designers!).
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image credit: Dirk Wuestenhagen
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The 2013 festival’s theme is “Gardens of Sensations”. The garden designers were given free reign to demonstrate research, scientific and artistic innovation and engage with the visitor’s senses: sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing. A stroll through the garden is such a charming activity if you happen to be in France this summer or early fall.
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image credit: E. Sander for Domaine de Chaumont-Sur-Loire, France.
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image credit: E. Sander for Domaine de Chaumont-Sur-Loire, France.
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When you’re done with the gardens, the impressive castle is also something to see. It’s had its checkered past (don’t we all?) – owned by Catherine de Medicis, Diane de Poitiers and a parade of princes, dukes and counts of the realm, the last heir being the bankrupt Princess de Broglie who sold it to the state in 1938.
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image credit: E. Sander for Domaine de Chaumont-Sur-Loire, France.
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image credit: E. Sander for Domaine de Chaumont-Sur-Loire, France.
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richard rabel
principal
richard rabel: interiors + art
interior design and art advising
new york city
The Chateau de Chaumont-sur-Loire and its gardens are about 15 kilometers (20 miles) south west of Blois and the Festival runs through October 2013.
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