Tusson is a small medieval town much loved by Marguerite d'Angoulême. She withdrew there after the death of her brother, François 1st. In the streets, fine houses with watch towers stand side by side with Renaissance residences. Tusson has a medieval monastery garden of the sort which existed in most convents. Reconstructed with the help of documents from the period, it is composed of vegetables which were grown in the 12th and 15th centuries.
In the village of Dignac, the Romanesque 12th century church stands on the side of a limestone mote. It overlooks a medieval garden which contains a fine collection of some 150 selected in accordance with the capitulary list de Villis of Charlemagne. It is laid out in raised squares surrounded by plessis [chestnut lattices]... Feel free to stroll round !
The Bandiat is a meandering river. Close to the banks, at Souffrignac, a farm has been renovated as part of a back-to-work project. Organically grown ancient or forgotten plants and vegetables are on offer here. Both the produce and the plants are on sale, or just a simple stroll round the gardens.
Each year, the theme of the collection in the gardens is changed.
The Vienne runs through this landscaped arboretum. Over 3,000 species of plant grow side by side as they please. A curious natural disorder which can be explored all through the year.
The village of Saint-Fraigne straddles the waterways of the Osme in the centre of a zone of water and peat bogs, a natural habitat of freshwater marshes. The ephemeral gardens, created by young landscape gardeners, flourish here from spring to autumn.
At the foot of the castle at La Rochefoucauld, on the banks of the Tardoire, a fine collection of over 700 varieties of roses and perennials can be visited in the peaceful setting of the enclosed gardens.
The fuchsias, which were brought back from the West Indies by Charles Plumier, the botanist of Louis XIV, have taken to Mansle in the Ruffec area as a home from home. A unique collection of 500 varieties in all shades of pink, mauve and red.