Gardens

When François de Réauville decided to build his private mansion in 1715, he commissioned the architect Robert de Cotte to draw up plans for the garden of the Hôtel de Caumont in the classic style of the period: immaculate geometric lines, pursuit of symmetry, open perspective, water parks... all hallmarks of so-called “French gardens”.

Culturespaces is undertaking the reconstruction of the upper and lower gardens in the spirit of the venue, with the help of archives containing the original plans made by Robert de Cotte.

Thus, the parterre (formal layout) of the upper garden will consist of a lawn interspersed with boxwood spheres and divided into geometric and symmetrical compartments placed around an ornamental pond.  In these gardens will flourish plants typical of mansion gardens at Aix in the eighteenth century: among the most common species are laurel and boxwood. There will also be acacia (false-acacia from North America, established in France in 1601 by Jean Robin), cypress, yew, lime tree, lilac, red and silver maple, and other plants that are emblematic of the region: the green oak, the agapanthus and the hackberry from Provence. Hornbeam, mulberry, ivy and magnolia will complement this fine diversity of plants.

The lower garden will comprise a central parterre surrounded by yew hedges, green oaks, roses and a pond.