Exploring the Enchanting Gardens of the 2025 Chaumont-sur-Loire International Garden Festival

Exploring the Enchanting Gardens of the 2025 Chaumont-sur-Loire International Garden Festival

Jardinot wishes you a wonderful summer! If you are heading on vacation or already reside in Loir-et-Cher, a visit to the Chaumont-sur-Loire International Garden Festival is highly recommended, as it stands among the region's seven wonders!

✍️ Milena Bauchet • 📸 Milena Bauchet, Canva, and Wikimedia Commons

Overview

🧙 The Garden of Korriganezed 😶‍🌫️ The Garden of Dreams 🏔️ Himalayan Rhapsody 🍊 Tales of the Alhambra 📔 The Enchanted Tales Walk 📖 The Story Continues…

Nestled at the foot of a castle, the vast grounds of the festival, which has been held annually since 1992, transform into a creative playground for garden professionals from around the globe. Each year, they design imaginative gardens centered around an inspiring theme. A jury of experts, including landscapers, nurserymen, journalists, and directors of exceptional gardens, selects and honors the most beautiful creations.

The 2025 edition of the International Garden Festival invites visitors to revisit childhood tales or to enchant the young ones discovering them for the first time. Attendees can expect a wealth of discoveries: extraordinary plants, innovative materials, clever designs, and both ancient and contemporary craftsmanship—all serving to inspire gardening enthusiasts!

🧙 The Garden of Korriganezed

My Favorite!

This secret garden, hidden from view, only opens its doors to curious minds! Visitors enter by climbing a few steps, moving quietly as if not to disturb the peaceful atmosphere. Gradually, they realize that this lush garden is inhabited. Strollers are seated around a vegetal table, as if attending a secret ceremony. A captivating, silent statue stands in the water, seemingly poised to whisper magical words.

The Korriganezed garden, or “fairy garden” in Breton, pays homage to fairies and Celtic legends. It features a nod to Morgane, often depicted as a fairy or a witch, through an outdoor herbalist's laboratory filled with aromatic and toxic plants from around the world. Further along, Viviane, known as “the Lady of the Lake,” faces a reflective water mirror, surrounded by aquatic and exotic plants.

What design idea can you replicate at home? An outdoor herbalist’s cabinet, perfect for a tea or meditation space!

Created by:

• Cloé LE GALLO, artistic director/illustrator
• Eloïse DAGORN, landscaper/designer
• Samuel LE SERREC, gardener/designer

Their inspiration? The moment King Arthur requests Excalibur from the Lady of the Lake, Walter Crane, 1911.

😶‍🌫️ The Garden of Dreams

Jury's Favorite

At the heart of this garden lies a vast pool, adorned with jets and mist, creating the illusion of walking on water! Dreamy visitors meander through the garden in single file, reminiscent of a group of sleepwalkers. Delicate silhouettes blend with the water vapor, bringing to life dreamlike scenes where real and imaginary beings mingle with other earthly creatures. This is truly a frog paradise, where aquatic plants thrive.

The artistic and landscape references of this garden draw from The Dream of Poliphile (1499). The four elements—water, earth, air, and fire—are represented, merging the known with the unknown to create new hybrid species and narratives. In this ever-changing garden, nature and daydreams reclaim their place.

What design idea can you replicate at home? A water feature to promote biodiversity in your garden: amphibians, insects…

Created by:

• The “Cradle of Nymphéas” Association
• Daniela CAPACCIOLI, sculptor
• Thierry HUAU, landscaper

Their inspiration? Nymphéas, painting by Monet, 1907.

🏔️ Himalayan Rhapsody

Special Jury Prize

This stone garden offers a serene and tranquil invitation, encouraging visitors to clear their minds and connect with the surrounding nature. With eyes closed, the sound of chimes transports one to the Himalayan peaks, after which the eyes open to a massive gong-shaped mirror, extending the garden, dotted with blue notes, infinitely.

This garden contrasts two visions of the Himalayas: first, the mythical land signifying adventure and well-being, represented by mounds and medicinal herbs; second, the threatened environment, as the “river of stones” symbolizes glacier melting and soil drying in the mountains.

What design idea can you replicate at home? A mirror to enlarge a small garden and create an impression of space—an element also found in the previous “fairy garden” (to the right)!

Created by:

• Gauri SATAM, landscaper
• Tejesh PATIL, architect
• Srivibhu VIRAJ, architect
• Manika GUPTA, intern
• from the unTAG Architecture & Interiors studio

Their inspiration? Himalaya, Survey of India / Walker, J. & C., 1894.

🍊 Tales of the Alhambra

Green Card to Blanca Li

Visitors enter this garden from behind the scenes, and around the corner, the vibrant scene bursts forth: bright blue adorned with large lemon-yellow pots! Instantly, one is transported to the south, where a vacation atmosphere lingers. Fountains, like spotlights, animate a lively river with reeds, while butterflies flutter nearby above the colorful flowers. Inspired by the Andalusian gardens of the Alhambra in Granada, the creator of this garden draws from that rich heritage.

What design idea can you replicate at home? A fountain to cool down your summer garden and provide birds with a refreshing drink.

Created by: Blanca Li, choreographer, dancer, director, and producer.

Their inspiration? Alhambra, Granada, watercolor by John Singer Sargent, 1912.

The 2025 Novelty

Stroll through the woods, following the paths of fairy tale characters: Pinocchio, Alice in Wonderland, Hansel and Gretel… Among the trees, scenes featuring birds and small animals resonate with the stories of our childhood.

What design idea can you replicate at home? Trompe-l'œil sculptures that blend into the landscape.

Created by: The gardening-landscaping team of the Chaumont-sur-Loire estate

Their inspiration? Alice in Wonderland, illustration by Tenniel, 1865.

These five gardens are sure to inspire you! Be sure to visit Chaumont-sur-Loire (41) to experience them in their summer foliage! Additionally, 20 other gardens await to surprise you. For those with a taste for fine dining, the story continues at the Grand Velum: this gourmet restaurant (reservation required), located within a greenhouse, emphasizes responsible products and offers a menu delightfully inspired by fairy tales!

If time allows, explore the meadows of Goualoup, the plant collections, and the vegetable garden of the estate, which hold even more surprises: among the unique plant varieties and designs inspired by gardens worldwide, you can admire works by contemporary international artists. Find practical information to prepare your visit on our Agenda page.

Attention professionals: registrations for the 2026 competition, themed “The Garden Goes to the Movies,” are open until November 4, 2025.

Finally, check out our practical guides to welcome, like the gardens of Chaumont-sur-Loire, a rich biodiversity into your garden!