Les Jardins de Suspendus de Marqueyssac

Let’s begin with Les jardins de suspendus de Marqueyssac, situated on a spur high above the Dordogne Valley in southwestern France. This 22-hectare garden provides a breathtaking prospect: 150,000 box trees, shaped into interlocking mounds, swirls, lozenges, lollipops, balls and cubes, tumbling down the hill towards a pretty chateau..

Lovely billowing shapes...

Topiary on steroids...

Every single plant is clipped by hand. Only the French could compose such an exquisite garden…and create such work for themselves. But unlike many French gardens where straight lines and symmetry set the tone, here there is a sense of movement and fun, some of the forms apparently inspired by flocks of sheep grazing on a hillside.

Lollipops and marbles...

Peacocks roam the grounds.

Beyond the topiary ‘herds’, which join to form a wonderful maze nearer the chateau, paths lead higher up the spur, through forests of holm oak and maple all in the gloaming, passed little waterfalls, grottoes and a tiny chapel tucked into the cliff face. From the belvedere there are wonderful views of the Dordogne River and the ‘valley of the five castles’, including Josephine Baker’s old pad. This is one of the best views in the region, but for me nothing tops the whimsy and magic of the topiary fairground.

There are modernist cubes as well as traditional balls.

And little grottoes further up the spur

Many of the box trees date back 150 years and not so long ago were entirely unruly (sacré bleu); apparently the garden had been left to run wild for decades. The plants were clipped back hard, their fantastical shapes restored and the garden opened in 1997; now it’s the most visited in the Perigord.

The pretty chateau features some rather charming trompe-l’oeil.

Even in the 'wilder' woodland box is clipped

I visited Marqueyssac with Botanica World Discoveries, an Australian based company offering garden-themed tours and cruises here and in Europe, UK, North America and Asia.