The most Beautiful Parks and Garden of Normandy in France.

In Normandy, the water, the light, the colours, the gentle landscape and the rich diversity of its heritage all lend themselves perfectly to the gardeners art.

First of all, you can visit the Bosmelet castle near Auffay. A unique 15-acre walk through garden history from the classical 18th century alignments encasing the Louis XII ch￢teau to the walled kitchen garden that harbours Baroness Laurence de Bosmelets (Chelsea Flower Show 2000 gold medal list) contemporary rainbow colour scheme of vegetables, fruit and annual flowers carefully sequenced in colour coordinates.

Then, you can go and visit the " Jardins de Bellevue " near Beaumont-le-hareng. There are flowers in every season. On a magnificent 15 acres site looking across to the For￪t dEawy, beds, trees and shrubs are full of interest throughout the whole year. The gardens are particularly noted for two national collections of hellebores and meconopsis.

If you prefer to enjoy a poetic walk in a sculpture park, you can go to Bois-Guilbert to see a beautiful garden. This 17 acres park is a hymn to nature and to sculpture. Jean-Marc de Pas, landscape artist and sculptor, has created in the heart of this family-run estate, a vast idyllic sculpture park, a poetic walk and landscape garden where art and nature transport the walker through a reverie of symbolic spaces, around ch￢teau, chapel and pavilion from the 17th & 18th centuries. The estate has played host to major figures including the poet and playwright Pierre Corneille, a cousin of the familys ancestors.

Deep in the heart of the countryside, the one-acre English garden of Val￩rianes is subtle blend of herbaceous perennials, roses, trees and shrubs. A real pleasure for those who love plants. Winner of the Prix Bonpland in 1996. For those who love roses, you can visit the ch￢teau de Mesnil Geoffroy. Around this 18th century ch￢teau, 2,500 roses (2,000 labelled varieties) are divided in two rose gardens (colours and scents). Hornbeam maze and aviaries full of exotics birds are the icing on the cake in this classic French park. Childrens trail.

If its possible, go and see the wonderful Clos du Coudray and his rich colour palette. A superb example of the flower garden. A stream winds its way through this floral mosaic of more than 8,000 varieties of plants  a garden of waters edge plants, rockeries, exotic gardens, a rose garden, a national collection of epimediums and dahlia garden, a graminaceous garden.

The contemporary garden of Agapanthe features a series of inimate but strongly contrasting rooms. The accent is on structure as you explore a botanical realm where the mineral and plant worlds are combined with great artistry. The lushness of the planting appeals to all the senses. A garden bursting with ideas in a confined space  only 6000m2 of winding paths and tiny squares. At Agapanthe nothing is left to chance: everything is designed down to the smallest detail, yet everything looks vibrant and natural. Expect the unexpected: this is like nothing youve ever seen.

About The Author If you want to travel abroad, go and visit Seine-Maritime, in France.