Les Jardins de Maizicourt visitor guide

Visit Les Jardins de Maizicourt, France

The Jardins de Maizicourt is a wonderful garden which was voted favourite garden of the Picardy region by the television programme "Le Jardin Preferé des francais" in 2014 and has been awarded 'Jardin Remarquable' status. It is situated in the village of Maizicourt near to Abbeville in the Somme department of northern France.

Explore the Gardens of Maizicourt

The gardens spread out over 10 hectares surrounding the beautiful 18th century manor house of Catherine Guévenoux. Catherine herself designed the gardens, paying particular attention to colour combinations, and she does much of the gardening herself, with a team of three other gardeners who help her.

There are about 24 different distinct areas in the garden including the pigeonnier surrounded by the red and orange flowers of roses, peonies, crocosmias and hemerocalles amongst others.

The main lawn in front of the house is surrounded by mixed borders with large colourful shrubs such as hydrangeas, rhododendrons and magnolias. The woods are underplanted with hellebores and bulbs, and the ancient pond is planted with astilbes, persicaria, ligularia and hydrangeas.

The whole garden is a delight with masses of plants but to avoid a spotty, unharmonious effect each area is planted with large numbers of plants but with the number of varieties kept small. A planting group I particularly liked was the irises with astilbe, phlox and geraniums. Also astilbe with hostas, hemerocalis and irises.

Look out for the ornamental hens that roam freely around the gardens!

You will notice as you walk around the village of Maizicourt that there are beautiful flower beds here too. You won't be suprised to hear that Catherine and her gardeners also do most of the gardening of these borders.

The village has been awarded 2 flowers in the "Jardin Fleuri" scheme but we are staggered that they have not been awarded 4. It is one of the best village planting schemes we have come across!

Les Jardins de Maizicourt opening hours

The gardens are open every day from 1 May to 15 October, Monday to Friday, 14.00-18.00 and in June and September every day from 14.00-18.00

The gardens can be found in the village of Maizicourt. Parking is next to the church in the village.

Places to visit nearby

Other gardens that you can visit near Maizicourt include the Jardin des Lianes and the Jardins de Sericourt, both within about 20 kilometres of here (see gardens in France for parks and gardens in other regions).

The most important town in the region is Abbeville, an interesting town with an impressive gothic church to the south-west of Maizicourt

You can find more travel ideas in the Somme guide and the Picardie guide.