Jardin Serre de la Madone

We had our u3a monthly speaker, a talk about the garden Serre de la Madone in France, designed by Lawrence Johnston of Hidcote NT fame ( information below.) This isn’t my photo of course, but sent to me by the speaker for publicity.

Our speaker was very well received, we had 135 in the room and 7 on zoom.
Now I am on to the prep for the next one!



This is Lawrence Johnston's French garden. Best known for making Hidcote in England, Johnston was a wealthy American. He employed a dozen gardeners to maintain the large plant collection and brought plants from around the world, including Burma, China and South Africa. As at Hidcote, the garden is divided into compartments with hedges and walls. Jardin Serre de la Madone occupies an area 9 hectares with a terraced garden and a Mediterranean forest. The terraces are supported by low stone walls and have pools and statues. The climate is exceptionally gentle and sunny, so that many tender and exotic plants can flourish. It is twinned with Hidcote Manor Garden, also designed by Johnston. The garden is near Menton and 3 km from the Riviera. It was designed in 1924 and changed hands several times after Johnston's death, falling into a period of neglect. The Conservatoire du Littoral acquired the garden in 1999 and launched a restoration programme, led by the botanist Pierre Augé and the landscape architects Arnaud Maurières and Eric Ossart.