FEEL THE MAGIC OF CONTEMPORARY LOIRE VALLEY GARDENS

Contemporary Loire gardens…

In the center of « Centre Region », also named « Garden of France« , the gardens of castle Rivau are labelled « Remarkable Gardens » by the Ministry of Culture of France, Conservatory of Fragrant Roses by the CCVS (French Conservatory of Specialized Varieties Collections) and Conservatory of Old Regional Vegetables.

Created by Patricia Laigneau (Landscape School of Versailles) over more than 20 years, the Rivau gardens are contemporary gardens that evolve with the seasons. There are Naturalistic Gardens, that change every day. There are always 2 out of the 14 gardens that are at their climax between April and October, with interesting associations between star plants and plants shedding favorable light on those star plants.

More than 450 varieties of perfumed roses

Le Rivau Rose gardens are labelled conservatory of the fragrant rose and contain a collection of more than 450 different kinds of roses. The roses of Rivau gardens are not chosen for being old or new roses but because of their fragrance.
The roses of the gardens and the thousands of other plants combine together to make a real botanical garden and a paradise for expert gardeners and or lesser experts. Each plant is labelled in French and in Latin. Rivau gardens also contain roses that are renowned for reblooming (Partnership with David Austin). We can therefore have roses from the end of April until the end of October!

Creative gardens

Botanical excellence is not the only thing that defines Rivau gardens, they are also surprising and original. Rivau gardens are an evocation of fairytale and each of them is inspired by a medieval legend. As the visitor walks around the 14 Rivau gardens, he will go from surprises to surprises and discover unique associations of plants.
Our gardens are cultivated without chemicals and we do our best to protect the environment.

Our partners

Many partners help us keep the gardens alive, but here some of them :

– Société National d’Horticulture de France (French National Horticultural Society)
– Association of Parks and Gardens of France
– Royal Horticultural Society (RHS)
– Borde Hill Garden, in England
– French National Conservatory of Chrysanthemum
– Ecole d’Horticulture de Laval
– MFR Sorigny
– Lycée Agricole de Fondette
– David Austin Roses