Gardens of Provence: And the Cote D'Azur (Specials S.) - Hardcover

Valery, Marie-Francoise; Vlaery, Marie-Francoise

9783822816097: Gardens of Provence: And the Cote D'Azur (Specials S.)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 3822816094 ISBN 13: 9783822816097

Publisher: Taschen GmbH, 2001

Enduring inspiration to countless artists, Provence is a rural paradise, a verdant, fertile environment that offers endless opportunities for those practitioners of what the philosopher Francis Bacon called "the purest of human joys". The art of landscape gardening demonstrates more than almost any other activity the human need to create havens of peace and contemplation. Benignly fashioning nature, the landscape gardener responds to what is present, as well as importing dazzling exotic plants and trees to reveal an extraordinary new world of the senses. Provence then is a gardener's idyll - a place where the extremes of "wilderness" and the symmetry of geometric construction come together in some extraordinary designs. These creations, building on the qualities of the area - light and a dry climate - do not divorce themselves from their surroundings but rather create the impression that indeed the whole of Provence is one magnificent garden. From the humid tropical to the unspoilt hills, from the cubist inspiration at Hyeres to the Zen patterns of Erik Borja, and from the coast to the valleys, only in Provence can you say that you walk in gardens as varied as dreams, yet as sensual as life.

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Review:

On the face of it, this is just another book about the gardens in an area of France. However, closer examination reveals it to be something more. For each entry--indeed each and every word--is written in three languages: French, English and German. Do not be discouraged: this does not detract from the enjoyment of the book. On the contrary, it adds to it, giving it a somewhat cosmopolitan flavour.

These French gardens, whatever their form, harmonise with the landscape and contain evergreen shrubs, fragrant herbs and bushes and also tropical plants which take advantage of the special climatic features of the area. The gardens themselves, 22 in all, vary greatly in character from the 1920s cubist garden of Vicomte De Noailles in Hy�res to the Zen garden belonging to the sculptor Erik Borja in the river Drome valley, to the French baroque garden at Gourdon, above the river Gard, from the humid and tropical to the unspoilt hills, and from the coast to the valleys. Each garden entry is strikingly illustrated with the wonderful colour photographs of Deidi Von Schaewen, a freelance photographer who studied painting and photography in Germany but who now lives in France. The author, Marie Francoise Val�ry studied English and politics before becoming a landscape gardener. She has written many gardening books and magazine articles on various topics and is a recognised expert in her field. Some of the gardens featured are private, but many others are open to the public, details of which are contained in "Gardens at a Glance" at the end of the book. This is a truly stunning book; a compelling read. --Susan Naylor

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