The park & the gardens

Lasteyrie Estate

Past the entrance gate, the chateau is approached via a long driveway lined with Leyland cypresses and through an open park that houses a beautiful collection of conifers. Among them, two magnificent century-old Lebanese cedars welcome you. Continuing your way, other fir trees still hide the view until the residence finally appears, dominated by a giant white fir. Wisterias and roses climb its walls, and in summer, a grandiflora trumpet vine adorns the terrace with its large orange flowers.

The estate offers many spaces to explore.

The landscaping was primarily designed by a former owner in the mid-90s and has constantly evolved since then.

The most striking feature of the ornamental garden is the trimmed or topiary boxwoods. This art requires a lot of maintenance and care.

In addition to many other native and exotic trees, the garden features roses and seasonal flower beds. Apple trees, kiwis, and an old quince tree are visible in the orchard near the original greenhouse and the vegetable garden, which takes place between the remains of the old stone parterres.

The Japanese garden has a more modern look and contains beautiful specimens of Japanese maples. It was created by a passionate bonsai collector to showcase her art. The bonsais are no longer there, but it now houses an astonishing shrub, Edgeworthia chrysantha (its bark is used to make Japanese paper mitsumara), which blooms in February, as well as various succulents and euphorbias. It is a place imbued with serenity that invites meditation.

Finally, the ornamental pond, a more recent addition, came about quite unexpectedly when one day we decided to clear an area full of brambles, revealing a concrete basin and a stone waterfall hidden under overgrown bushes. It is now populated with a variety of goldfish moving among the water lilies and the sacred lotus Nelumbo nucifera. All aquatic plants come from Latour-Marliac, the oldest nursery of its kind in the world, which inspired the famous French painter Claude Monet. We have ten carefully chosen varieties for their colour or rarity. It is another inspiring place where time slows down, and one takes pleasure simply in listening and watching.