Treat yourself to a green break...
Here I am today in the Scaëroise countryside. I have an appointment with Liliane to visit the Treuscoat garden. Leaving the village, head towards Saint-Jacques, get to Créménet and turn left towards Treuscoat. A sign will tell you that you are on the right road. At the end of the road, go through the large gate - there you are!
A look back at the birth of the garden
Liliane and Alex are two passionate lovers of ornamental plants, particularly acidophilous plants, and they've been doing it for 50 years!
25 years ago, their personal garden of 6,000 m2 was bursting at the seams, with no room left for their new plants...
At the end of 1998, they set their sights on this 5-hectare plot of land, nestling high on the banks of the river Isole, in the Cascadec
forest, half fallow, half grassland that had been abandoned for 30 or 40 years! It will take 4 years of clearing to overcome the impenetrable natural wall of broom, gorse and brambles. The oak trees will be preserved and pampered. Then they will have to deal with the topography and the nature of the soil. The soil is granite to a fault, and in places there is very little topsoil, just a few centimetres at most. Unsuitable for certain species, the soil can't support rose bushes, for example, which "would be quickly eaten by deer", says Liliane.
And what about today?
25 years later, the garden is unrecognisable - "visitors can't believe it! "We've tried to maintain a natural setting and avoid the omnipresent walls". The upper part of the park is made up of wide paths where you can enjoy a stroll, while the lower part is much more intimate. In either case, you'll become an expert in the art of contemplation!
With a further 2 hectares under development, the garden now covers 7 hectares where plants, flowers, trees and shrubs flourish in abundance.
95% of the plants come from seedlings or cuttings and in figures that gives: 1000 varieties of rhododendrons between hybrids and botanicals, 150 varieties of camellias, 150 varieties of hydrangeas, 50 varieties of magnolias, hundreds of maples, rare trees and shrubs from Chile, California, Mexico, Manchuria, India, the Himalayas...
The flowering periods are spectacular, but it's not just about the flowers: the colours of the trunks, foliage and new thumbs form impressive colour palettes.
Because Liliane and Alex are real experimental magicians! They also make their own hybrids!
Around twenty of their hybrids are registered with the RHS (Royal Horticultural Society), which was founded in London in 1804 to promote gardening and horticulture in the UK and Europe.
Just recently, Cornus 'Soleil Rouge' was selected by SAPHO, a nursery association that selects, publishes, develops and promotes new varieties. "Soleil Rouge", which will become flamboyant in summer, is a hybrid, created here by the expert hands of Liliane and Alexis, between a Cornus Kousa Satomi and a Cornus Capitata, which you can discover here.
"There are always surprises when you hybridize, pleasant or unpleasant, depending on the colours or whatever, but in the end, I like them all anyway!" exclaims Liliane with a big smile.
Like all self-respecting collectors, there are exchanges between enthusiasts, private individuals or arboretums: exchanges that may seem very strange to the uninitiated: exchanges of pollen, seeds, etc. "At the moment, I'm in contact with a Polish person. At the moment, I'm in contact with someone from Poland. I'm waiting for his pollen to pollinate, but as spring comes later in Poland, it'll be too late for this year, but that's not a problem, I'll keep the pollen in the freezer to create a new hybrid next year", Liliane explains to me when I look stunned!
Tell me Liliane, how do you make a hybrid?
"Just before the flower bud opens, we deposit the pollen on the pistil and wait for autumn... If the ovary has grown, the plant has taken the pollen and pollination has worked, we remove the stamens and protect everything with aluminium foil. Pick the ovary before it opens and collect the seeds. Sow on peat, usually at the end of December, and keep moist. Germination is rapid, lasting up to two months. And presto, a new plant!
After that, you need to be patient to see the results, as the first flowering can take place after 3, 5, 10, 15 or even 40 years for some specimens! So the surprise is still there, and the secret is still safe!
Thanks for the biology lesson and the explanations! I'm going to sleep a lot easier tonight!
A haven of peace
The lower part of the garden is as romantic as you could wish, and you'd expect a horde of korrigans to appear from behind the masses of granite! Granite that had to be tamed by the hard work and sheer strength of their arms. The result is breathtaking! Steep flights of flagstone steps lead you into a maze of colours, where mineral and plant life reign supreme in a wilderness setting. This is my favourite part, and Liliane tells me she agrees with me.
On the way back up, you'll come across an avenue of large-leaved rhododendrons from China, India and the Himalayas. The most imposing specimens have leaves measuring up to 70 cm and can have up to 33 flowers in a single bouquet - opulence in all its splendour!
Magic!
And apart from your garden, Liliane, is there anywhere in the Quimperlé area that's close to your heart? "Oh, not far away, the banks of the Isole at Scaër", a place that's very close by, reminiscent of the tranquillity of the garden, with the sound of water as a bonus.
Ready to discover?