Finding the Séricourt Gardens

The Séricourt Gardens are hidden away in the pretty countryside north of Amiens, west of Arras and east of Le Touquet in Pas-de-Calais. Even when you reach them, tucked away in a small hamlet, you have no idea of what to expect of this jardin remarquable (remarkable garden).

These gardens are one of the hidden treasures of the region, a place equally for keen gardeners who know their barrenwort (more poetically known as ‘elf-flowers’) from their white cedars as for those who just choose to wander quietly from one shaded grove to another more open space.

The First Plantings

The gardens were started by Yves Gosse de Gorre who has now been joined in running the enterprise by his son Guillaume. Originally one garden beside the old manor house, the ideas expanded to a series of small gardens, many of which have a particular significance and theme. It’s a good idea to buy the guide book before venturing into the garden. Throughout, different feelings and emotions have inspired the gardens and while you may well interpret some of them according to your own reactions, you will miss some of the references.

A Series of Outside Rooms

You get the idea that this is more than a pretty space with the first garden at the entrance which has a fountain set in recycled materials, flanked by two weeping purple beeches that mirror the falling waters, a second fountain with grey stones and a sculpture of a sinous, dancing figure facing the source of life.  

The first gardens lead you from the shady and the perennial garden down a winding brick path and away from traditional plantings.

The trees are mature so you rarely get more than glimpses of the rest of the landscaping.

There are surprises like a rusting metal cube that seems to be broken open by the force of nature. There are also shocks like the extraordinary Battlefield. Three major wars devastated the region: the Hundred Years War between the English and the French from 1337 to 1453, and the two World Wars. In the Battlefield garden, red and white lupins remind you of  bayonets, some smeared with blood, while in the background an army of yews, cut to upright shapes, stand like silent soldiers and there's a small box garden shaped like a Matisse figure dancing for the safe return of the warriors. Craters in the ground in front of a massive yew hedge evoke the trenches of  World War I; beyond metal shapes with holes on one side make you think of…perhaps a dead or blind soldier, or perhaps a nun or a nurse. You walk through a completely shaded alley of white cedars; come out onto a prairie with a clearing where willows surround faux de Verzy, small beeches that grow in strange contortions. There's a legend that Druids workshipped under these trees and there is indeed magic and an other worldly feel to the place. There are dwarf cedar trees cut into shapes of faces, and in the middle a Council of War which could have been part of Narnia and the world of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

There’s great beauty as well particularly in the Peace Garden. A garden of geometrically cut trees in wide lawns sweeps majestically down to the Cathedral of Roses, a cascade of roses and clematis on a semi-circular frame which makes a riot of colour in the summer and a glorious palette of fall oranges and gold.

Most people take around an hour and a half to two hours to wander through the 29 different gardens marked with upturned old plant pots. The topiary chairs and table, secret passageways and sudden clear vistas fascinate children as much as adults.

The gardens of Séricourt are truly a treat.
Les Jardins de Séricourt
2 rue de bois
Séricourt
Tel.: 00 33 (0)3 21 03 64 42
Website (in English)

Open May 1-October 15 Tues-Sat 9am-6pm, Sun, Mon 3-6pm
October 16-April 30 Tues-Sat 9am-noon & 2-5pm.

Admission Adult 10 euros, 12 to 18 years 7.50 euros, free under 12 years with accompanying adult.

If you're a fan of gardens, there are plenty to see in Pas-de-Calais and the region. The local tourist offices produce a useful guide, Parcs et Jardins each year, with details of gardens from the Monts des Recollets just outside Cassel to the Park of the Chateau de Barly in Barly near Avesne-le-Comte.

One of the most attractive gardens nearby is the garden of Valloires Abbey. It's only a 50-minute drive away and offers a contrast to Séricourt with its more formal layout.

Also check out www.parcsetjardins-npdc.fr which covers gardens in the whole Nord-Pas-de-Calais region.