Jardins à la française, jardins à l'anglaise: fécondations croisées

The opposition between the architectural order and symmetry of the classical French garden and the naturalistic painterliness of the English garden, whether landscape, Arts and Crafts, or cottage, is a familiar one. But in reality, the relationship between these horticultural neighbours is so much more pervasive and fertile. Hélène Tronc will take us on a personal perambulation through a series of garden case-studies, highlighting mutual and sometimes surprising influences and inspiration up to today.

Theme: gardens, gardening, garden design, cross-cultural influence

Our speaker is  Hélène Tronc. Hélène is the Garden Supervisor at the University of Oxford Botanic Garden, the oldest botanic garden in the UK, founded in 1621 and home to a collection of over 5000 species of plants. Before embracing horticulture professionally, Hélène worked as a translator for many years. She studied French literature and classics at the ENS Ulm and at the Sorbonne in Paris, and holds a Master's in Classics and a Master's in Art History. When she isn't gardening in Oxford, Hélène restores an abandoned olive grove in the garrigue of the Languedoc.