Garden Review
Le Jardin Exotique Roscoff, France
T
he Jardin Exotique is a short drive from the main ferry port and marina at Roscoff in the Finistère department of Brittany and makes a delightful place in which to while away an hour or two. It receives no public funding and survives on the modest entry fees and sales of plants grown on site. Access to the small sales area is free and worth exploring at the beginning or end of your visit. To the left of the entrance is a gallery with a changing selection of art and a posh polytunnel displaying plantings of cacti and succulents, such as a nationally recognised collection of Echeveria. The garden itself was the brainchild of Daniel Person and Louis Kerdilès who, in 1986, laid out the pathways that twist around mounds planted with some 3,500 plant species from South Africa, South America, New Zealand and Australia. New species are introduced every year to
Above: A climb to the top of the 18m (60 feet) peak is rewarded by views of the ferry port on one side and a pretty bay on the other. Below: The Jardin Botanique contains fine specimens of Protea cynaroides (‘giant protea’): the national plant of South Africa.
ensure the garden remains fresh, and there’s enough of interest here to warrant visits in the autumn as well as in the warmer months. Although not especially large at 16,000m² (about 4 acres), the Jardin Exotique is on the register of France’s Conservatoire des Collections Végétales Spécialisées (CCVS), roughly the equivalent of the UK’s ‘Plant Heritage’. This not-for-profit organisation works with private and public bodies to protect plants and preserve biodiversity in the wild and in gardens. The Jardin Exotique is noteworthy for having a CCVS National Collection of Aeonium genus and the Restionaceae family, as well as CCVS Agreed Collections of Kniphofia, Protea and Melianthus.
In addition, the garden holds over a hundred different species of Eucalyptus and well as Amaryllis belladonna, Banksia, Callistemon (bottlebrush), Grevillea, Hakea, Melaleuca and Passiflora, plus assorted tree ferns and palms. The plants are not grouped by continent, but arranged in a way that looks natural and appealing. Such a fine array of southern hemisphere plants is perhaps an unexpected find on the rugged Breton coast. The garden is located at the edge of a wooded bay on a high point called the Roc’h Hievec, which offers some protection from the easterly winds. In this micro-climate, it is unusual for the temperature to drop below 0°C at the rock itself or -2°C in the rest of the
Left: There are benches thoughtfully placed throughout the garden. From this shelter one can enjoy views of the sea and a splendid Echium pininana.
Left and centre: Johanne Wright.
Below: A goldfish pond with a waterfall is an unexpected sight up a steep hill.
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HISTORIC GARDENS Review
Issue 37
