Like its Loire Valley neighbor the Château de Villandry, the Château de Valmer dates back to the reign of François 1er. And like Villandry, the gardens at Valmer are laid out on a series of terraces that follow the slope of the hillside and end with the 2.5-acre/one-hectare ornamental kitchen garden (potager) that once fed 40 people and now grows edible plants and flowers to be enjoyed during the summer as well as vegetables to be preserved in tufa cellars during the winter. The château’s moat has become a separate garden. The domain also produces some excellent Vouvray wines! The Garden Conservancy is delighted to offer this virtual lecture on January 27 in partnership with the Alliance Française Chicago with communication support from the Federation of Alliances Françaises USA. the French Heritage Society, the Historic Gardens Foundation, and WICE. $10 if a member of a sponsoring organization, $20 general public. Register HERE.
Speaker Alix de Saint Venant and her husband Aymar are the fourth generation of their family to own the Château de Valmer since 1888. Passionate about Valmer, Alix rediscovered the 17th century plan for the gardens, became a landscape gardener, and dedicated herself to the restoration of its Renaissance gardens. Alix is the co-author of Le Potager d’Alix de Saint Venant au château de Valmer (EPA, 2013). Finally, her son Jean is in charge of the 86-acre/35-hectare vineyard, taking over from his father and ensuring that the fifth generation will carry on the family tradition.
