France Is More Than Champagne

France is famous for many things: wine, cheese, the Eiffel Tower . . . and gardens.

My husband Fred & I spent our summer vacation touring this gorgeous country. He’s a great travel planner and always finds the most interesting places to visit and stay.

In his planning he discovered the renowned landscape architects of the 19th century Denis and Eugene Buhler. According to our guide books, the brothers are credited with creating the “open landscape” – a radical departure from the traditional formal French style of straight lines and clipped boxwoods.

So we had to see an example and visited the Parc du Thabor in Rennes. Built in 1865 on 10 acres right in the heart of the town, it is one of France's oldest municipal parks. The day we visited - a weekday – we were surprised to see it packed with families and hundreds of students enjoying the sunshine.

We live and work 5 minutes from Longwood Gardens, so I must admit, I’m a bit spoiled, so I can understand why Thabor still is considered one of the most beautiful gardens and parks in France. It's well worth a visit.

Suzi

Garden Media Group