The Gardening Event of the Season at Château de la Ballue : “Topiary Art and Mannerism” 2018

Creating an annual gardening event, something entirely new, of extremely high quality, cannot be improvised, it is not just thrown together. It must resonate with its venue historically, be (literally) cutting-edge, and demonstrate absolute coherence and cohesion. An event whose theme is the Art of Topiary is an obvious choice for the Gardens of la Ballue, as the gardens set the standard for this particular art form. The Gardens of la Ballue is a member of the prestigious European Boxwood and Topiary Society.

La Ballue has more than 300 topiary plants, shrubs and trees, with great botanical diversity and differing sizes and shapes !

Many workshop-demonstrations will be offered to visitors: advice on maintaining and growing these plants, the various pruning techniques, the range of necessary tools and other materials … all under the direction of Hubert Puzenat, the landscape architect and also the talented gardeners. The owner will be present as well, to answer questions about the management of the garden and the work required to run it.

Other events this year after the “Topiary Art and Mannerism” 2018:

  • Saturday 26th, 3:30 PM : Conference about snout moths, which is a news topics for the lovers of boxtree, in collaboration with Districo, French companie, leaded by Thibault CRANCE, home and garden manager for KOPPERT biological systems.
  • Presentation of the album “Botanical collection of yew in the garden of la Ballue” with a presentation of our collection of botanical boxtree, in the moat garden and also a presentation of the book of the jardins de la Ballue : “Variations sur un jardin”.
  • Of note: the boutique/bookstore also offers many books devoted to the art and creation of topiary, as well as a tea room in the gardens which offers a selection of delicious pastry and exclusively, the wonderful Nina teas.


Opening hours: 10:00 AM to 6:30 PM without interruption

Admission fees: (normal rates)
9,50 euros for adults, 7,50 euros for young people 10-18 years old and students, children under 10 free.

For more information, check out our practical information page.