Go to probably the most stunning gardens of France – Latour-Marliac is a horticultural gem in South-West France that impressed Claude Monet’s well-known waterlily lake.
Le Temple-sur-Lot within the Lot-et-Garonne division (between Bordeaux and Toulouse) is called after a still-impressive medieval Commandery of the Knights Templar. For the reason that mid 19th century, nevertheless, the village has been the temple of one thing else solely – waterlilies and lotuses.
A temple of watery delight
Joseph Bory Latour-Marliac (1830-1911) studied legislation in Paris however by no means preferred it a lot, and returning to his native Granges-sur-Lot to study his horticulturalist father’s artwork. In 1850 he struck out on his personal with the acquisition of 10 acres in Le Temple-sur-Lot. It got here with a stream, two wells and 14 springs. Bamboo had grow to be modern in mid 19th century gardening and Joseph’s dream was to create Europe’s best bamboo assortment.
From bamboo to waterlilies
Though it went effectively – Joseph is credited with introducing two new varieties – there was an excessive amount of competitors within the bamboo enterprise, so he started to experiment with waterlilies at a time after they have been all however inconceivable to buy. At the moment the one selection that survived outside in Europe was the white Nymphaea Alba.
Joseph was to alter all that. By some type of mysterious inexperienced thumbed alchemy, he hybridized N. Alba with yellow N. Mexicana to create the very first hardy waterlily that wasn’t white.
In 1875, he re-founded the nursery, particularly devoted to aquatic vegetation – waterlilies and lotuses. Working his magic on tropical and semi-tropical specimens from North America, Joseph would go on to create hardy waterlilies in each shade from pale yellow and pink, to ruby pink and copper.
In 1889, he despatched 17 of his most stunning specimens to Paris to compete within the Exposition Universelle. One case was misplaced on the prepare and had to get replaced. When it was found over a month later and despatched again to the nursery, Joseph anticipated to search out all of the vegetation had died – as a substitute they have been nonetheless thriving. Waterlilies might look delicate, however they’re as powerful as weeds.
The World’s Truthful that modified Paris and artwork historical past
It has been famous that solely two main issues have survived from the 1889 Paris Exposition Universelle: the Eiffel Tower and Latour-Marliac’s waterlilies. Displayed in water gardens outdoors the Trocadèro, they took first prize within the flower competitors.
It was pure serendipity that Claude Monet was exhibiting within the Pavillon des Artistes subsequent door to the Trocadèro. He was completely beguiled by the waterlilies. A 12 months later he purchased the home he’d been renting for seven years in Normandy (after recognizing it from a prepare that ran alongside the underside of the backyard). In 1893 he purchased land on the opposite facet of the tracks to create a water backyard. “I like water, however I additionally love flowers. That’s why, as soon as the pond was crammed, I thought of adorning it with vegetation. I bought a listing and easily selected at random.”
Monet ordered as many lotuses as waterlilies, however sadly they did not thrive. In any other case his chic Nymphéas – jewel of the Orangerie in Paris – may look very totally different, together with greater than 250 different waterlily work that now characteristic in museums world wide.
The small museum at Latour-Marliac shows a few of Monet’s handwritten orders. Different shoppers included the king of Bulgaria, the Vatican and author Leo Tolstoy, who ordered waterlilies for the ponds at his house, Yasnaya Polyana in Russia. A lot of the nursery’s enterprise got here from Britain, led by the influential backyard designer Gertrude Jekyll (whose title was borrowed by her pal Robert Louis Stevenson in his story about Mr Hyde).
Latour-Marliac as we speak
After Joseph’s loss of life, relations ran the nursery till 1991, when Ray and Barbara Davies of Stapeley Water Gardens in England took over and restored the gardens. Each have lilies named after them. Their efforts have been rewarded in 2004 when Latour-Marliac was designated a Jardin Remarquable. Since 2007, the proprietor has been American Robert Sheldon.
The gardens are open from 15 April via 15 October, however are at their most aromatic, full blooming most interesting, in summer time. Highlights embrace Joseph’s elliptical swimming pools, as we speak containing the French Nationwide Waterlily Assortment, lined hypnotically with vintage terracotta pots the place cuttings have been as soon as grown earlier than they have been offered.
Different waterlilies and lotuses develop within the rectangular swimming pools (from the air it appears like a set of watercolours) the place frogs hop and plop, amid the dragonflies and butterflies. Twenty sorts of bamboo develop by the gorgeous pond, with its waterfall and a Japanese bridge – a nod to Monet’s Giverny.
The backyard’s wonderful Café Marliacea serves lunch, and dinner on Sunday evenings in summer time, when the nocturnal tropical waterlilies within the greenhouse present their stuff, together with the Amazonian Victoria, with its 1.5m diameter pie-pan leaves.
In case you’re feeling Monet-ish, Latour-Marliac’s wonderful web site tells methods to create your individual water characteristic. Research it earlier than you arrive, as a result of it’s all too straightforward to be overwhelmed by the magnificent lilies!
Web site: latour-marliac.com
Take a half day tour: with French Nation Adventures frenchcountryadventures.com
For extra Bamboo and Waterlilies…
From Le-Temple-sur-Lot it’s simply over an hour’s drive to 2 different Jardins Remarquables within the Dordogne: the unique bamboo Jardin de Planbuisson (planbuilsson.com) in Buisson de Cadouin and the Jardins d’Eau (jardinsdeau.com) in Carsac-Aillac house to Europe’s solely waterlily labyrinth.
Dana Facaros has lived in France for over 30 years. She is the creator of French Meals Decoder app: the whole lot you need to learn about French meals, and co-author of the Bradt information to Gascony & the Pyrenees and lots of information books to France.
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