Tony's Garden Le Barroux

May 26, 2023

Today was special; one of those amazing days that in some ways cannot be planned yet come only from advance planning.

Two weeks ago in Arles, Ann was standing in front of the Luma and saw two men trying to take a selfie, she kindly offered to take their photo and struck up a conversation. When she came back to where I was waiting with the bikes she told me all about these people who had invited her to visit "the most amazing garden in Provence" Oh sure, I said, unbelieving.

Today we went and visited two amazing gardens. Ann had done her homework, looked up the gardens, emailed the inviters and arranged a date. Paul, who had made the invitation, is a retired Belgian with a lovely house on the hills above Le Barroux. He and his wife Hedwige retired there six years ago and have renovated a country home and installed a magnificent garden with the help of his landscaper nephew. After cycling up a series of steep hills and not wanting to be too late, we were out of breath, sweaty and very grateful to be invited in to sit by their pool, drink water and coffee and chat. Paul took us on a tour of his garden explaining how the combination of Provençal weather, stone, vegetation and the need for water all influenced the garden's design.

Then we went to Tony's, the main attraction. Tony made his fortune in commercial photography and in retirement focussed his attention to gardens and sculpture, first in England and then in Le Barroux for the past 20 years. He envisions how the built and natural landscapes can intersect, and how art can accentuate those spaces. Then he and his team work to make it happen. Aged 91 and with two canes, Tony did not accompany us on the full tour but set us off on prescribed routes and met us at strategic places. As a photographer, his sense of framing and perspective is the guiding force in the placement of specific plants and sculptures. Quickly, we could see how this garden had won international awards and how fortunate we were to be invited into what is otherwise a private space. We took hundreds of photos, trying to capture the spaces, but none do justice. Tony enthusiastically told us about the vegetation designs, the plant sculpting, and especially, how the sculpture is placed to fit in with nature, which is different from simply being framed by the garden. We could have stayed for hours, listening and asking more questions about gardens and art, but we had an hour ride home before dark and our hosts, Paul and Hedwige, had dinner guests so we had to break off and leave.

Coming home over the Col de la Madeleine, we agreed that this was a completely different, yet another incredible day in our cycle tour of Provence. Thank-You to Tony, Paul and Hedwige for their kind hospitality and for sharing their most amazing gardens with us.