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The Gardens and Orangerie Court of Saint-Loup Castle |
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A Short History of Gardens
A garden is an enclosed area where nature has arranged for the pleasure of people. It seems that the garden was born in Mesopotamia in 3000 B.C., when the acclimatization of the palm tree allowed the creation of different zones of vegetation (the Hanging Gardens of Babylon). Then, in 2000 B.C., the Egyptian civilization also discovered gardens, particularly vines and orchards, which were seen as a "gift of the Nile". The third great garden civilization was Persian: called "paradis" (the word is Persian).
The first Western potagers were created around monastic foundations in the tenth century A.D. In France during the twelfth century, there was also a vernacular tradition of Celtic "enchanted gardens," places of magic spells. From the end of the crusades in the fifteenth century onwards, French gardens were very much influenced by the Italian. In Renaissance Italy, the art of gardening had been transformed by the rule of science and the mathematical division of space.
The first truly "classical" garden (i.e., where the layout is determined by its geometrical relationship to the building for which it provides both a setting and a continuation) was the courtyard of Belvedere at the Vatican, followed a few years later (1544) by the Villa d'Este in Tivoli. The art of the classical garden found a ready home in France. The first "French garden" worthy of the name was that which Fouquet had created at Vaux le Vicomte (1656 - 1661). The architect was Louis le Vau, who worked closely with a young draughtsman, André le Nôtre, who was to become one of the greatest garden designers of his era. This first garden served le Nôtre as a model for Versailles, which remains the most accomplished example of the French style: an immense opera of greenery, marble and bronze, brought to life by water. Mythology again triumphs as it did in the Roman garden of earlier days. From the Parisian region, where many such examples exist, this style spread throughout the whole of Europe. The Orangery Court
The Orangery Court, as conceived in the eighteenth century, is a place for the seasonal display of citrus plants, in particular orange trees, and of other plants susceptible to frost, particularly those with Mediterranean origins. The placing of the pots in the Orangery Court is based on classical principles: with one citrus plant followed by a fragrant or decorative one, around the four squares bordered by box hedges. The flower beds are planted with flowers selected for their fragrance. Over the years, each potted plant is trimmed to its own distinctive shape: sphere, cone, Chinese hat, etc. The Orangery Garden is born from the desire to assemble a collection of citrus and Mediterranean species (mostly originating in South-East Asia) in surroundings which the climate, the region or the location would normally prohibit.
The cultivation of citrus trees and plants also provided the eighteenth century with the means to create luxury items: perfumes, liqueurs, essential oils, jams, fruit preserves, and so on. In order that such a display of specialized varieties should be maintained in peak condition throughout the summer season, as it is at Saint-Loup, constant attention must be given throughout the year to the conditions that are carefully adapted to the rhythm of the local climate. The citrus trees and plants are taken into the orangery building in the second half of October, before which they receive a final pruning to ensure that they enter the orangery in fine health. Once inside, there is a supplementary heating system and additional lighting to compensate for the loss of daylight. They are watered once a month according to their requirements (70 centimeter tubs = 5 liters; 50 centimeter tubs = 2 liters; Anduze vases = 3 liters). During this period they are reboxed if necessary. No further treatment is given inside the orangery building, until a small amount of fertilizer is applied in March, ready for the plants to be put out again in the last week of April.
Once outside, the plants are carefully trimmed with "secateurs" or scissors, respecting the aesthetics and especially the "rule of three" (the height of the sphere = the height of the trunk = the height of the container). The emphasis is therefore very much on the ornamental aspect. May and June is the time of flowering, although for some species, such as the bitter orange, this has already begin inside the orangery building. At this stage the flowers are gathered for making perfumes, liqueurs, and essential oils. Even the citrus are allowed to flower, but in a controlled way: where there is a group of four flowers, for example, only one is left to form the fruit.
The fruiting period, which takes place in June, is called the "knotting season." It is important not to have too many fruit, which may jeopardize the ornamental quality of the plant: the foliage must take precedence over the fruit. Reboxing: this is the process of reboxing which regenerates the earth to give the plant renewed growth. For best results, it is done on average every five years during the winter when the plant is dormant. The first step is to remove the sides of the tub, which is designed in such a way that the lateral slats are hinged and the whole of a side panel can be removed. At the same time, one can review the condition of the panel: it can be reversed if it is damaged, or replaced if it is beyond repair.
At a later stage, if it has become too large for its tub, the plant is moved to another container altogether. At this time, the earth is renewed on all four sides simultaneously. The tub itself permits the circulation of air and water: its bottom is made of strips of wood, above which is a sub-layer of pumice (a volcanic rock which filters the water and allows air to pass) that protects against rot. The framework of the tub is made of cast iron, the panels are of oak. The collection at Saint-Loup comprises a hundred citrus plants of twenty-seven different varieties, and approximately forty varieties of Mediterranean plants and flowers.
Anduze is a picturesque town in the Gard, with a reputation for fine pottery that has endured for centuries. The so-called "Versailles" tubs are painted in two shades of green, in imitation of the inner and outer sides of an olive leaf. The same is true of all the other woodwork (the benches, the windows, etc.). Location of the Plantes in 1997
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Their gardens were hunting grounds of orchard and forest. The
ars topiaria, or art of landscape, was developed in Rome in the later
half of the second century B.C.:
henceforth the garden was seen as a framework for everyday life.
The presence of gods and heroes was typical of the Roman tradition of gardens.
Fountains, an important feature of the Arabic art of gardens, appeared in the Syrian and Byzantine
gardens of the eastern Roman Empire, and were diffused by the Arab conquests.
In judging the beauty and harmony of a garden, it is necessary to take into account the foliage
(the bearing, color and form of the leaves), the flower (beauty, appeal, scent) and the fruit
(taste, lusciousness, color) of each plant.
This is a critical moment, with each tub and vase positioned with strings,
aligned and leveled.
The drip irrigation system is then connected, which automatically waters the plants every morning or
evening, with fertilizers added (Nitrogen - Phosphorus - Potassium = NPK). 
One then removes the top 10 to 15 centimeters of earth around the tub, without disturbing the central part.
This aeration strengthens the plant by concentrating its energy on root-development in the new soil.
One does the same successively with the opposite face of the tub; and the following winter one uses the
same techniques, but on the two other sides, which avoids causing stress to the plant. 
The flambé, green-tinted Anduze vases were produced specially to order, and bear the
inscription "Château de Saint-Loup."quot;
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In the Four Corners in the Anduze Vases:
Along the Walls of the Orangery: Plants in Pots: Flower Beds: Along the Walls: Beyond the Gate |
Section A:
Square B: |
Square C: Square D: |
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The Flower Garden
In the Flower Garden were cultivated the flowers that were cut to make
the floral arrangements for the Château itself, in the tradition
of English "picking gardens".
An unusual feature is that
the garden is laid out in such a way as to mask the removal of cut flowers
from those who gaze down the
central path: the middle beds are formal and unchanging; the flowers for
cutting are in the side beds. In neither of these gardens has it yet been possible to recreate the
espaliers as they are indicated in the eighteenth-century inventory, nor the
plants which alternated with them. Still absent too are the
fountains and the statuary: something to look forward to, in the years to come!
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Left Triangle: Lilas commun |
Right Triangle: Houx commun |
Lateral Beds: Seasonal flowers: April to May: June to September: Espalier-Trained Fruit Trees: 81 varieties |
Château de Saint-Loup
