Arboretum de la Sédelle
A remarkable garden and a national collection of maples
About ten hectares on the banks of the Sédelle, created from 1980 by Nell and Philippe Wanty. Holder of the Jardin remarquable label, with an accredited national collection of maples.
Philippe Wanty trained under Gilles Clément, and the garden follows his principle of the 'jardin en mouvement' - the moving garden: intervene as little as possible, let things happen, guide rather than control.
The maple collection holds a hundred and twenty taxa, including seventy species and subspecies, accredited by the Conservatoire des collections végétales spécialisées. In total, more than four hundred species of trees and shrubs from four continents.
The trail crosses five habitats: meadow, beech-and-holly woodland, pond, heathland, and a granite chaos overlooking the river. The same granite outcrop that painters used to climb up to see from the fortress, two kilometres away.
Two moments worth aiming for: a weekend in May for the plants, one in October for the colours. Open from May to early November, Thursday to Monday, afternoons.