Park & gardens
Discover wonderful views of the park from the chateau's windows, then continu your visit by wandering through the many alley ways or by resting in the meadows under the shade of trees.
Designed in the 17th century, the park is 123 acres wide ; 45 as a landscaped garden, the rest is called "agricultural park". The oldest layout are only known by the map drawn around 1768 by the géographe Cassini. There are still some left that are particularly taken care of.
As soon as 1856, Antoine Luzarche ordered the Bühler brothers, famous landscape architects, to design the landscaped garden on its current 45 ac. No planting was random ; wherever you are during your walk in the alleys, a new scene meets the eye. The agricultural park is included in the perspectives, in the play of volumes and colors of the surroundings bushes. Many exotic wood species are to be found ; a tree collection is created.
From 1920, Georges Hersent ordered important changes. He had plant the knot garden with box trees and topiaries alongside the chateau that reinforce the architectural coherence of the buildings. He also had plant a florist garden opposite to the box trees. Intimacy and senses prevail.
Since 1996, new planting are made to renew the oldest trees and respect the initial vision of the Hersent-Luzarche.
1995-1996 : A conservation orchard with 160 trees frome 80 different species (apple and pear trees) was planted. Fundings came from the University François-Rabelais of Tours, the survey was made by the association Croqueurs de pommes de Touraine, the work was done by the city of Tours' employees, and the project coordination by the National Forest Office.
1999 : With the advice of the Apple Berry society and the Croqueurs de pommes Touraine, was set a single line orchard of vines: 80 vine stocks from 40 different varieties against the wall in the garden.
The must-see in the park
- The orange trees in front of the chateau, said to have been given in 1896 to Marthe Luzarche d'Azay when she got engaged to Georges Hersent. The owner was making a wine with the bitter oranges they were producing,
- The mosaics, lawn, topiaries and perspectives from the chateau windows,
- The topiaries next to the wing Cingé, arrangement and shape remind of the pieces of a chess game,
- The succession of landscape sceneries and massives seen from the back of the floral garden,
- The tree-discovery circuit, initiatory walk to botany that takes you to discover some wonderful trees (cedars, sequoia, red cedar etc...).