The landscape gardener and the site’s designer, Gilles Clément, chose to do something different by creating a garden made up of various landscapes rather than a standard botanical garden. The plants that grow here are not labelled. Their interest is in terms of the landscapes in which they feature, which is meant to be as natural as possible. You can wander freely and without constraints, and discover the amazing flora by means of his designs.
An exhibition in the former stables
However, keen botanists and those with inquiring minds have not been neglected. The lack of name tags is compensated for by an exhibition right in the centre of the gardens. It is located in the former stables which used to belong to the Domaine du Rayol’s first owners, the Courmes. Here you will find the names of the principal exotic species which make up the landscapes evoked in the Jardin des Méditerranées; you will also find fact sheets containing information provided by the gardeners.
The local flora is also mentioned. Everyone has heard of the maquis and the garrigue. But can you actually tell them apart? These two distinct types of vegetation grow on very different rocky substrates; they feature here in detail on a mural.
