The Jardins du Château Val Joanis are gardens which belong to the Château Val Joanis winery, located west of the town of

Pertuis Pertuis (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in Vaucluse, a Departments of France, department in the southeastern Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of France, south of the Luberon. Pertuis has existed since at least 981, and a castle was first b ...

in the

Vaucluse Vaucluse (; or ) is a department in the southeastern French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. It had a population of 561,469 as of 2019.

Department of France. The gardens are inspired by the 17th century

bastide Bastides are fortified new towns built in medieval Languedoc, Gascony, Aquitaine, England and Wales during the 13th and 14th centuries, although some authorities count Mont-de-Marsan and Montauban, which was founded in 1144, as the first bastides ...

, or Provençal manor, which stands on the site. They are private but open to the public, and are classified by the French Ministry of Culture among the

Remarkable Gardens of France The Remarkable Gardens of France is intended to be a list and description, by region, of the more than three hundred gardens classified as ''"Jardins remarquables"'' by the Ministry of Culture (France), Ministry of Culture and the Comi ...

History

The Chateau is built on the site of an ancient Roman villa, some of whose stones today decorate the garden. The building is decorated with the coat of arms of Jean de Joanis, the secretary of the King

Louis III of Naples Louis III (25 September 1403 – 12 November 1434) was a claimant to the Kingdom of Naples from 1417 to 1426, as well as count of Provence, Forcalquier, Piedmont, and Maine and duke of Anjou from 1417 to 1434. As the heir designate to the throne ...

. The estate was occupied by the Arnaud family, who kept it until the 17th century. In 1754, the estate was given the status of a fief. The house and estate fell into ruins during the 19th century. It was purchased in 1977 by Jean-Louis Chancel. Between 1979 and 1999, he planted 186 hectares of vines. He also commissioned the architect Jean-Jacques Pichoux to build a modern winery building, inspired by the architectural style of the

Dominican Order The Order of Preachers (, abbreviated OP), commonly known as the Dominican Order, is a Catholic Church, Catholic mendicant order of pontifical right that was founded in France by a Castilians, Castilian priest named Saint Dominic, Dominic de Gu ...

. In 1978, Cécile Chancel decided to build a garden in the style of a 17th-century

kitchen garden The traditional kitchen garden, vegetable garden, also known as a potager (from the French ) or in Scotland a kailyaird, is a space separate from the rest of the residential garden – the ornamental plants and lawn areas. It is used for grow ...

. She had terraces dug on the hillside next to the vineyards, researched different garden styles, and, with the assistance of landscape gardener Tobie Loup de Vian, began building. The garden reached its present form by 1990. It was classified as a Remarkable Garden of France in 2005.Website of the Chateau Val Joanis.

Description

The gardens are laid out on three terraces: The upper terrace is a kitchen garden and flower garden, featuring

lavender ''Lavandula'' (common name lavender) is a genus of 47 known species of perennial flowering plants in the sage family, Lamiaceae. It is native plant, native to the Old World, primarily found across the drier, warmer regions of the Mediterranean ...

cut into spheres, squash, salad plants,

fennel Fennel (''Foeniculum vulgare'') is a flowering plant species in the carrot family. It is a hardy, perennial herb with yellow flowers and feathery leaves. It is indigenous to the shores of the Mediterranean but has become widely naturalized ...

, and aromatic plants and herbs. Different varieties of tomatoes are grown on bamboo frames, and there are pyramids of ivy and hops (''

Humulus lupulus ''Humulus lupulus'', the common hop or hops, is a species of flowering plant in the hemp family, Cannabaceae. It is a perennial, herbaceous climbing plant which sends up new shoots in early spring and dies back to a cold-hardy rhizome in autumn. ...

''). The middle terrace features flowers, particularly roses. The paths are bordered with ''

Iris × germanica ''Iris'' × ''germanica'' is the accepted name for a species of flowering plants in the family ''Iridaceae'' commonly known as the bearded iris or the German bearded iris. It is of hybrid origin. Varieties include ''I.'' × ''g.'' var. ''floren ...

'' and with

yew Yew is a common name given to various species of trees. It is most prominently given to any of various coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus '' Taxus'': * European yew or common yew (''Taxus baccata'') * Pacific yew or western yew ('' Taxus ...

trees trimmed into cones. The lower terrace features fruit trees, particularly old varieties of apples and pears. The garden also has a garden of herbs, a collection of

asters ''Aster'' is a genus of perennial flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. Its circumscription has been narrowed, and it now encompasses around 170 species, all but one of which are restricted to Eurasia; many species formerly in ''Aster'' are ...

, and boxwood hedges trimmed in ornamental forms. An arbor or pergola covered with climbing roses and trumpet creeper (''

Campsis ''Campsis,'' commonly known as trumpet creeper or trumpet vine, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Bignoniaceae, native to woodlands in China and North America. It consists of two species, both of which are vigorous deciduous perennial ...

'') climbs the hill and joins the three terraces. Tables and seats are placed at scenic spots with views of the garden and the vineyards beyond. The best times to visit the garden are June and July for the flowers, or September for the change of colors of the vineyards and trees.

Gallery

File:Val Joannis garden 2.JPG File:Val Joannis garden 1.JPG File:Val Joannis 7.JPG File:Val Joannis 6.JPG File:Val Joannis 4.JPG File:Val Joannis 3.JPG File:Val Joannis 5.JPG File:Val Joannis garden 9.JPG

Bibliography

*Marie-Françoise Valéry, J''ardins de France en fleurs'', Taschen, Paris, 2008. (). *Phillipe Thébaut and Christian Maillard, ''Parcs et Jardins en France'', Editions Payot & Rivages, 2008 ()

References

External links

Site of the Jardins du Chateau Val Joanis
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jardins du Chateau Val Joanis Val Joanis