Carlton International Spent An Afternoon With The Experts At The English Garden – Known As The Best Landscapers On The French Riviera
English Garden is the story of two British brothers, William and James, who fell in love with the French Riviera. They had a very singular philosophy – the love of architecture combined with the landscaping culture of the Côte d’Azur. Through this enthusiasm, the two brothers decided, 25 years ago, to create a nursery for plants and flowers and trees. The business evolved into a design office – to design and develop bespoke gardens. Taking advantage of the cooler morning temperature, we decided to join the English Garden team at their most recent project near Châteauneuf-Grasse, a delightful mediaeval village dominating the countryside. They are now widely considered as The Best Landscapers on the French Riviera!
The Project
The English Garden team are working on an exciting project for a property designed by the renowned Silvia Catania, of Italian origin, with an unhesitating contemporary vision. As goal is to design and construct an incredible garden that seamlessly blends into the surrounding landscape. William explained the significance of every plant, tree and flower that surrounds the property.
Showroom Visit
Later, we visited the English Garden showroom in the heart of the charming village of Valbonne. As we enter the newly renovated former hotel, we feel a sense of magic.
The interior marries modern design with charming ancient, original features. The botanical boutique combines their passion for plants and their love of interiors. Customers can drink in the atmosphere and treat themselves to the plants, accessories, ornaments, tableware and garden furniture on display. This is where the English Garden team welcomes their clients, hoping to create their own unique gardens.
Design
Our visit continues in the offices and in the design area, located above the store. Made up of large wooden desks where the team of architects draws up the plans by hand or with the aid of digital technology. This is an important step since everything starts from these plans, allowing the garden to come to life. The team considers every landscape element when designing a new garden to fulfil their duty effectively.
Nursery
After visiting the office, workshop and botanical boutique, we set off in the direction of Opio near the village of Valbonne, next to the famous Opio-Valbonne Golf Course. Here, English Garden have its nursery and exhibition gardens. On a hectare or two and a half acres of tailored land, visitors can explore charming alleys with maintained plants, flowers, and trees. They can choose and buy suitable flora.
English Garden or Eden Garden
After a day filled with discovery, we finished our visit with the English Garden team surrounded by enchanting trees. We thank William, James and Guillaume for helping us to understand their true passion for landscape architecture, along with their unique and enchanting vision of design. Carlton International shares the same values as English Garden – top-of-the-range and tailor-made service, their shared ethos of the love of the Côte d’Azur and its culture.
