Les Jardins du Manoir d'Eyrignac; a Dordogne garden full of amazing topiary

Photo of Les Jardins du Manoir d'Eyrignac

Visit Les Jardins du Manoir d'Eyrignac

Les Jardins du Manoir d'Eyrignac are a few kilometers north of Sarlat in the Dordogne department of South West France.

Explore the Gardens of the Manoir d'Eyrignac

This garden is almost entirely made up of topiaries, with huge hedges cut into intricate geometric patterns and pots full of clipped box. It is a green oasis, particularly in the summer in the otherwise often parched south west of France.

The Manor house and associated buildings built of golden coloured stone and with the deep sloping roofs typical of the area provide a beautiful setting for the gardens.

There are five main parts to the garden; the Plant Sculptures Kingdom; the Box Labyrinth; the Manor and French garden; Capucine's gardens; the White Garden and the Flower Meadow. There is also a vegetable garden and flower garden.

Topiary is a common feature of all of these gardens except for the recently added flower meadow. However the topiary ranges from low and simple hedges formed into knot gardens and filled with white roses and other white flowers in the White garden to the tall shaped hedges of Hornbeam Alley in the Plant Sculptures Kingdom.

Whilst not my cup of tea for my own garden where I love to see lots of herbaceous plants, it is really well worth at least one visit and it is bound to inspire a longing for at least one or two topiaries in your own garden.

The garden was started in the 1960s and the topiaries are generally of box, holly and cypres. All the hedges are cut by hand - quite an incredible feat!

A few facts about the gardens

The gardens have been classified as a 'Remarkable Garden' and as one of the 'Most beautiful gardens of France'. It has also been awarded the 'Most beautiful garden in Perigord'.

The gardens cover 10 hectares and include 50000 square meters of hedge.

There are more than 300 sculptures in the garden and 80 different plant species to discover.

There are seven natural springs in the garden and these are used to water the gardens.

Manoir d'Eyrignac garden guide

The gardens of Eyrignac are in the Dordogne department north of Sarlat.

The garden is open every day:

January, February, March, November and December: 10.30 to 12.30 and 14.30 to dusk

April 10.00 to 19.00

May, June, July, August, September: 9.30 to 19.00

October: 10.00 to dusk

Address: Les Jardins du Manoir d'Eyrignac, 24590 Salignac

Prices are 12.90 euros for adults , 11.50 euros for 11-18s and 6.50 euros for 5-10s.

Evening visits to the Jardins d'Eyrignac

Every Monday night in the summer the White Garden is open for an evening visit and everyone is invited to bring a picnic and dress in white. The admission price is 16 euros for adults and includes admission, a welcome cocktail and music is provided for the evening. From the pictures we have seen it looks like a very stylish event.

Gardens to visit nearby

If you are a topiary fan don't miss a visit to the Marqueyssac gardens where the topiary is cut into beautiful swirling shapes and a lovely woodland walk looks down over the Dordogne river.

A little closer are the lovely gardens of Cadiot and the superb water gardens of Carsac.

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