The Parc botanique du Prieuré d'Orchaise (3 hectares) is a
botanical garden
A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...
and park located on the grounds of the former priory at the Place de l'Eglise,
Orchaise,
Loir-et-Cher
Loir-et-Cher (, ) is a department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France. Its name is originated from two rivers which cross it, the Loir in its northern part and the Cher in its southern part. Its prefecture is Blois. The INSEE and La P ...
,
Centre-Val de Loire
Centre-Val de Loire (, , ,In isolation, ''Centre'' is pronounced . ) or Centre Region (french: région Centre, link=no, ), as it was known until 2015, is one of the eighteen administrative regions of France. It straddles the middle Loire Valley ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. It is open daily except Friday in the warmer months; an admission fee is charged.
The priory itself comprises buildings from the 15th and 19th century built on ancient foundations, and between the two world wars was home to
Gabriel Hanotaux
Albert Auguste Gabriel Hanotaux, known as Gabriel Hanotaux (19 November 1853 – 11 April 1944) was a French statesman and historian.
Biography
He was born at Beaurevoir in the ''département'' of Aisne. He studied history at the École des C ...
(1853–1944), historian and Minister for Foreign Affairs. Its park, created by Hubert Treuille who traveled the world collecting specimens, received First Prize from the
National Horticultural Society of France
The National Horticultural Society of France (French: ''Société nationale dhorticulture de France'', or SNHF) is a horticultural society founded in 1827 by Louis-Étienne Héricart de Thury. Headquartered in Paris, it comprises specialized de ...
in 1993.
Today the park contains over 2,200 trees and shrubs, including
magnolia
''Magnolia'' is a large genus of about 210 to 340The number of species in the genus ''Magnolia'' depends on the taxonomic view that one takes up. Recent molecular and morphological research shows that former genera ''Talauma'', ''Dugandiodendro ...
s,
peonies
The peony or paeony is a flowering plant in the genus ''Paeonia'' , the only genus in the family Paeoniaceae . Peonies are native to Asia, Europe and Western North America. Scientists differ on the number of species that can be distinguished, ...
,
rhododendron
''Rhododendron'' (; from Ancient Greek ''rhódon'' "rose" and ''déndron'' "tree") is a very large genus of about 1,024 species of woody plants in the heath family (Ericaceae). They can be either evergreen or deciduous. Most species are nati ...
s, and
Japanese maple
''Acer palmatum'', commonly known as Japanese maple, palmate maple, or smooth Japanese maple (Japanese: ''irohamomiji'', , or ''momiji'', (栴), is a species of woody plant native to Japan, Korea, China, eastern Mongolia, and southeast Russia. ...
s, as well as two lily ponds and a statue ("La Transparente") by Romanian sculptor Christian Breazu.
See also
*
List of botanical gardens in France
This list of botanical gardens in France is intended to contain all significant botanical gardens and arboretums in France.
Ain
* Arboretum de Cormoranche sur Saône, Cormoranche-sur-Saône
* Parc botanique de la Teyssonnière, Buellas
Aisne ...
References
Parc botanique du Prieuré d'Orchaise
Gardens in Loir-et-Cher
Botanical gardens in France
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