In one of the Château glades, children and adults can enjoy themselves in a giant course : a new circular maze over one hectare wide, planted with two thousand yews taxus baccatta, each one about 1,30 meter high. It is surrounded by bowers, trimmed as an archway. The remaining free spaces are filled with vases made of box and ivy. In the middle, a raised gazebo ornamented with wicker allows a complete sight over the maze and its layout. The maze also offers the opportunity to discover the caryatids added by Catherine de Médicis on the castle’s front. They were removed three hundred years later by Madame Pelouze so the monument could return to its pure initial architecture In Chenonceau, one can also admire the tremendous floral compositions, renewed twice a week every season, which beautify the Château and its dependencies all year round.
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A day in Besides the extraordinary visit to the Château, the Chenonceau estate offers the possibility of discovering the gardens of Diane de Poitiers and Catherine de Medicis. Two flamboyant gardens combine rare species, hundreds of climbing and stemmed rose bushes, rows of lavender and other aromatic plants. Its floral decoration, renewed during spring and summer, comprises of 130 000 flower plants cultivated within the estate. Preserved in the age-old manner, the two gardens allow the visitor to rediscover the great French garden landscaping tradition. The flowers are cultivated in a garden entirely reserved for them, located next to the 16th century Farm, called the Flower garden and bordered by climbing roses. This garden is articulated around 12 compartments, outlined by rows of apple trees and rose bushes.
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