Gardens of the Imagination
Encyclopedia
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
: Jardins de l'Imaginaire) in Terrasson-Lavilledieu
Terrasson-Lavilledieu
Terrasson-Lavilledieu is a commune in the Dordogne department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.The Gardens of the Imagination —classified as a remarkable garden by the French Ministry of Culture—are situated in Terrasson...
, in the Dordogne
Dordogne
Dordogne is a départment in south-west France. The départment is located in the region of Aquitaine, between the Loire valley and the High Pyrénées named after the great river Dordogne that runs through it...
Department of France, is a public park and contemporary garden, classified by the Committee of Parks and Gardens of the Ministry of Culture as one of the Notable Gardens of France
Notable gardens of France
The Remarkable Gardens of France is intended to be a list and description, by region, of the over two hundred gardens classified as "Jardins remarquables" by the French Ministry of Culture and the Comité des Parcs et Jardins de France...
.
Designed in 1996 by landscape architect Kathryn Gustafson
Kathryn Gustafson
Kathryn Gustafson is an American landscape architect and artist. Her work includes the Gardens of the Imagination in Terrasson, France; a city square in Évry France; and the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain in Hyde Park, London. She has won awards and prizes including the Millennium...
and architect Ian Ritchie, it uses thirteen tableaux to present the myths and legends of the history of gardens; the axis of winds; perspectives; elementary gardens; the sacred wood; the tunnel of vegetation; the theater of greenery; the water garden; the terraces of moss; the topiary garden; the rose garden; the iris garden; fountains, casade, and basins. It uses simple natural elements; trees, flowers, water and stone to suggest the passage of mankind from nature to agriculture to the city.