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Home>Garden Holidays>GARDENS ILLUSTRATED: Private Gardens of Provence

GARDENS ILLUSTRATED: Private Gardens of Provence

24 June 2021

5 days from £3,890pp

Mediterranean gardening at its best is a way of living in harmony with the local environment, creating a strong

visual unity between house, garden and landscape. Provence, with its long, hot, dry summers provides a

wonderful opportunity to learn how to design and plant gardens adapted to such conditions.

Visit the private garden of Le Mas de Benoit
Visit the gardens of St Remy de Provence with designer Dominique Lafourcade
Enjoy two days visiting some of the regions most beautiful gardens with Helen and James Basson, of Scape Design
Explore the workshop and gallery of Marc Nucera, artist-tree surgeon

On this five day tour we will discover how James & Helen Basson, of the award winning Scape Designs, create beautiful gardens requiring minimum watering, and we are honoured that they will be joining us to show two of their recent projects and introduce us to the legendary Filipppi nursery near Montpellier, where experimental techniques in dry gardening have transformed our understanding of Mediterranean gardening practise.

The landscape of Provence remains essentially unchanged: medieval hill towns, rise among olive groves

and vineyards, and fields of lavender and sunflowers soak up the sunshine. Dusty roads fringed with pines

loop through the jagged Alpilles, giving way to banks of wild cistus, rosemary and thyme – plants typical of the

upland garrigue. Hidden behind old iron gates or an avenue of ancient plane trees, old country estates have

been elegantly rejuvenated in recent years by contemporary designers, creating sensuous gardens, each in its

own way responding to the spirit of place and the designer’s eye. Avignon, on the banks of the wide and tranquil

river Rhone lies at the cultural and historic heart of Provence. The 5-star Hotel d’Europe, with its long-established

reputation as a hotel of great style and comfort, just a step away from the Rhône and the towering walls of the

Palais des Papes is our carefully chosen base for the tour.

Day 1:
We travel from London Heathrow to Marseille. We then drive to a local restaurant for lunch followed by a visit to a superb private garden, Le Mas de Benoit, that blends seamlessly into the spectacular landscape thanks to its shrewd design by the late Alain-David Idoux. After our visit we then drive to Avignon and Hotel d’Europe where we dine together at our hotel’s celebrated restaurant, La Vieille Fontaine.
Day 2:
In the morning we travel to St Remy de Provence, to the town residence of international garden designer Dominique Lafourcade who will guide us through the spectacular series of gardens she has created around her old offices and new home, La Pomone. A short walk takes us to lunch at a bistrot in the centre of St Remy where we meet James & Helen Basson of Scape Design with whom we visit two special private gardens of their making, especially designed and planted for the arid climate. We then return to Hotel d’Europe before we dine together at a local restaurant.
Day 3:
An early start with Helen and James Basson to guide us, we visit the sensational nursery and experimental garden of Olivier Filippi near Sète. This is then followed by an invitation to lunch with Chantal Guiraud, official seed collector for the Mediterranean Garden Society. Chantal’s beautifully planted garden wraps around her house on the edge of Montpellier. After our visit we return to Avignon for a free evening.
Day 4:
Marc Nucera is known throughout Provence as an artist-tree surgeon and sculptor extraordinaire. We start the day visiting La Terrain, his outdoor workshop and gallery before returning to enjoy free time in Avignon. This evening we meet author Louisa Jones at La Mirande for dinner.
Day 5:
We travel the short distance to Chateau de Plaisir, a 17th century hunting lodge where the gardens have been imaginatively restored and redesigned by the late Pascal Cribier. Then we travel to Mas de Payan where owner Sophie de Brignac invites us to lunch on a shaded terrace before showing us her potager and young arboretum. Finally we travel to Marseille for our return flight to London Heathrow.

Return flights with British Airways from London Gatwick to Marseille
Private coach transfers and excursions
Four nights’ bed and breakfast in the five-star Hotel d’Europe
Three dinners with wine and four lunches
Guided visits to sites listed in the programme
Services of the Tour Leader and Hosts
Detailed programme and garden notes
All entrance fees, taxes and gratuities for coach drivers and waiters

Kirsty Fergusson

Kirsty exchanged a career in academia (she is a PhD specialising in French philosopher-novelists) for a life in gardening. Trained at Capel Manor, she was head gardener at Mapperton in Dorset during the early nineties, where a series of fortunate encounters opened the door to garden writing. As well as writing a weekly column for The Express, for many years she was a frequent contributor to Gardens Illustrated, House and Garden, Country Life, The Times, The Telegraph and The Independent. In 2003 she moved to SW France, where she continues to explore the possibilities of her own (very forgiving) garden - when not travelling, writing or leading tours.

Fly from London Gatwick

Return flights from London Gatwick are included in our package on our specific arrival and departure dates plus one item of checked in luggage, per person.

Transfers will also be included on our specific arrival and departure dates to take you to your holiday destination. If you choose to arrive or depart on a different day, there may be an additional supplement charged to cover your transfer costs.

Overview

A luxuriously converted 16th-century house, centrally located between the Palais des Papes and the St Bénezet Bridge. The building has been a hotel since 1799, making it one of the oldest hotels in France, hosting the likes of Napoleon Bonaparte, Victor Hugo, Christian Dior andPablo Picasso in this time. Elegantly appointed roomsare complemented by a Michelin-rated restaurant.

Room Facilities & Amenities

En suite bathroom
Air conditioning
TV
Wi-Fi
Hairdryer
Minibar

GARDENS ILLUSTRATED: Private Gardens of Provence

24 June 2021

5 days from £3,890pp

Day 1:

Day 2:

Day 3:

Day 4:

Day 5:

Kirsty Fergusson

Fly from London Gatwick

Your Accommodation

Hotel d’Europe, Avignon

Overview

Room Facilities & Amenities

GARDENS ILLUSTRATED: Private Gardens of Provence

24 June 2021

5 days from £3,890pp

Your Accommodation

Hotel d’Europe, Avignon

Overview

Room Facilities & Amenities

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