The Gardens

Design & inspiration

Created from scratch in 2006, the garden has taken twenty years to take shape. Its eight terraced levels, adorned with stone walls, stairways, and statues, were shaped under the vision of Gilles Chauvelin, famous stone mason and a close friend of Max Ernst. The artist, who lived in Huismes, and spent much time at La Couture, left a subtle but lasting mark of his creative spirit, which continues to inspire the current owners. While the garden remains a work in progress, its structural framework is clear, and the design of its green “windows” is gradually emerging.

Every corner reflects a poetic utopia, inspired by Rabelais’ Abbey of Thélème. The garden unfolds in green rooms and meandering passages, framed by hornbeam hedges, cypress, and sculpted living windows, with arches and pergolas guiding the eye and revealing unexpected perspectives—evoking the calm and precision of a cloister or abbey.

A place of culture and memory, the garden pays tribute to emblematic local figures such as Eleanor of Aquitaine, Rabelais, Ronsard, Saint Martin, Max Ernst, and Dutilleux, weaving together history, literature, and nature. Every detail, from pathways to plantings, speaks of a carefully considered design, where formal elegance meets untamed beauty, and gardening becomes an act of poetic, sustainable art.

The garden offers a sensory and almost spiritual experience, a true communion with nature, where order and chaos, culture and nature, coexist in a subtle, refined harmony. It is a garden of new renaissances, celebrating creativity from Leonardo da Vinci to Max Ernst, while remaining deeply rooted in the tradition of French gardens.

Sustainability & environmental mission

A haven for biodiversity

The gardens were once an ambitious creation, undoubtedly inspired by the Le Nôtre terraces of the neighbouring Chateau d’USSE and the Italianate terraces at Villandry. However, over a period of 20 years it had fallen completely abandoned, left to ruin. It then was savagely cut back, drenched in roundup and a destroyed to a point where only 8 linden trees, a row of walnut trees, and two pine trees, which had all been cruelly pollarded, were left. All this destruction just to clean up the property for sale! This was  years ago when we bought the house.

Our ambition over the last 18 years has been to plant a garden. The Gardens Haute Couture has not been re-wilded. We have not abandoned nature to her own care, turned our back on her and hoped for the best.

This has not been our ethos.

No what we have done is to give her a helping hand. Planted trees and shrubs to create shade and shelter. Planted food giving plants for insects and animals, created ponds and marshy areas for water loving fauna and flora. We feed birds to encourage them to breed as the gardens grow in strength and abundance to fill all their needs.

We do not use any poisons or chemicals. Haute Couture is a garden nourished by our love and hard work, a place of immense beauty that pleases the human eye as much as it is a home and refuge for all the bird, mammals and insects that give it life.

Prepare Your Visit


Opening Hours 2026

The gardens will be open for visits from May 1st to September 28th:

  • Weekends and public holidays, without appointment, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. (the tearoom is open at the same hours).
    Please call ahead, as the gardens are sometimes privatized for weddings and other events.

  • Weekdays, by appointment only, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Closed on Mondays.

Admission fees:

  • €7 for adults

  • Free for children under 12

  • €5 per person for groups (self-guided visit), with free admission for the driver and the organizer.
    The owner will welcome you with a short presentation on the history of the gardens (around 15 minutes).

Lunch + guided tour package, available on request for groups of more than 10 people.

If you would like a guided tour of the gardens with the owner and designer (minimum 1 hour 30), please add €100 to the admission fee.

Visit duration:
The average visit lasts about one hour.
The garden is terraced, with many staircases and gravel paths, so please wear comfortable shoes!
Benches are available for resting.