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Alexandre Thomas et le Jardin Agapanthe : un architecte-paysagiste et son laboratoire by Alexandre THOMAS – Château de Bénouville
Alexandre Thomas and the Agapanthe Garden: a landscaping architect and his laboratory
The Agapanthe Garden (Jardin Agapanthe), located between Rouen and Dieppe, is first and foremost the landscape designer Alexandre Thomas’ laboratory. A permanent source of research, the garden is under constant evolution. To offer an insight into his gardening know-how, Alexandre Thomas readily opens his garden to visitors. His fondest plants and associations set the scene over a total of 9,000m2 of totally lawn free garden. The highlight of this contemporary garden is its powerful structure. Highly accentuated movement of terrain, a maze of terraces and walls, of waterways and ponds combine to create a succession of different atmospheres. A fine layer of sand valorises the whole. This unique profusion of plant life is also home to decors, furnishings and fountains. Surprising whatever the season, the Agapanthe Garden has become a genuine source of inspiration.
Alexandre Thomas
With a genuine passion for plants, the artist has been designing garden projects since a very early age. During his school years, Alexandre Thomas studied at the Gembloux School of Landscape Architecture in Belgium where he graduated as a Landscape Architect. As a self-taught nonconformist, he has coordinated his own projects since his very early career. His strength: exceptional (by their shape, size, age, originality) plant installations which enable him to achieve an immediate result, in keeping with the image of his Agapanthe Garden. As an antique collector would, he rummages his way around Europe in search of ever-increasingly exceptional pieces. He prefers mature plants, trees that are already decades old, for they bring immediate identity and character to his projects. Today, Alexandre Thomas continues to place the utmost priority on offering each of his creations its own very personal touch, relying on forceful structures and highly selective choices of plant species that will ensure he produces truly unique works.