Jardin de Planbuisson, a bamboo garden is south west France

Visit Jardin de Planbuisson

The Jardin de Planbuisson is a bamboo garden located at Le-Buisson-de-Cadouin in the Dordogne.

Explore the Jardin de Planbuisson

This fabulous bamboo garden was created in 1989 and covers 1.5 hectares. There are 600 varieties of bamboo and grasses and it is the largest such collection in Europe. When you visit you really will be amazed at the enormous size of some of the bamboos in the garden.

A path leads you round the garden through dense 'forests' of bamboos whose circumference in some cases is as big as a man's wrist. Black, green, yellow and stripy with green or variagated leaves the variety is immense.

Particularly striking bamboos include Phyllostachys vivax and Phyllostachys edulis which grow 20 meters tall with 12-14cm diameters, and delicate 'weeping' varieties such as Fargesias nitida and Yushania velutina.

At various parts along the route, which takes around an hour to complete at a leisurely pace, there are clearings planted with shrubs, roses, and a wide range of grasses.

The garden started out as a nursery and a private collection but as the bamboos grew and spread and the harmony of the garden took shape the owner, Michael Bonfils, started opening the garden to the public. The garden is roughly divided into different zones representing different continents where the bamboos grow naturally.

The owner is a font of knowledge on all things to do with bamboo and can help you to select species suitable for gardens of all sizes. He has a nursery on site where you can buy plants. These include non-invasive bamboos suitable for a small garden.

I'm a big fan of grasses in the garden and you can also see and buy these at Planbuisson.

The bamboo garden of Planbuisson is a listed 'Jardin remarquable' of France. It is the largest bamboo garden in Europe, covering 1.5 hectares and has bamboos from five continents. The garden has one of the largest collections of bamboos in Europe and four of the bamboo collections are the National Collections .

The garden is now run by an association, 'the friends of the gardens of Planbuisson ' in order to ensure the continuity of the gardens and the collections.

Le Jardin de Planbuisson garden guide

The garden is open from April to October.

April, May, June, September and October 10.00 to 12.00 and 14.00 to 18.00. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

July and August, every day from 10h00 to 19h00.

November, December, January and February the garden is closed and the bamboo nursery open by rendez vous only.

This garden is situated at Le-Buisson-de-Cadouin between Bergerac and Sarlat in the heart of the Dordogne.

Address: Rue Montaigne, 24480 Le Buisson de Cadouin

The garden costs 7 euros for adults and 3 euros for 12-18s. Under 3s are free.

Gardens to visit nearby

Les Jardins Panoramique de Limeuil are nearby in the beautiful village of Limeuil. One of the best gardens in the Dordogne, the Jardins Suspendus de Marqueyssac is not far away and definitely should not be missed whilst in the area.

You can find more local travel ideas in the South West France guide,