Water is an essential source of life for the development of any living being, whether animal or plant-based. However, due to global warming, this resource is becoming scarce. It must be protected. Topography is concerned with the structure of the landscapes, allowing water to create itself a path and then be collected at a given point. In this garden, water flows over the landforms, shaping its path across hints of embankments and slopes. At the heart of the garden, an oasis emerges, much like a sanctuary offering life and wonderment in this arid place.
The path begins in an arid environment that resembles the dry hills of the Mediterranean. Stone embankments that appear inhospitable are colonised by pioneering, hardy and spiny plants that appear to flourish. These delicate yet resilient plants reveal their intimate sides, venturing rather self-consciously along the embankments and then exuberantly flourishing when they reach the comforting oasis. This hollow provides a rich, protected environment where plants blossom in the shade of the melias. The freshness and humidity in this area are ideal conditions for the development of biodiversity, and provide shelter for both fauna and flora.
DESIGNERS
Marie TIRMARCHE, Kumari DANIEL and Hugo JEEGERS, students
Hugo BRULEY, lecturer
ÉCOLE DE LA NATURE ET DU PAYSAGE DE BLOIS
FRANCE
Kumari Daniel
“My interest in plants opened the door to landscape. Since my childhood, I’ve always had a keen interest in flowers, plants and plant life in general. After obtaining my scientific baccalaureate, I wanted to become a botanist to gain a better understanding of the world of plants and how they interact with the world. After studying biology in English for a semester, I quickly realised that I wanted to aim for a more creative, more hands-on profession. That was when I decided to study landscaping, without fully understanding the profession back then. After studying for four years at the School of Nature and Landscape, I developed a taste for design and I particularly appreciate the variation of scales that are unique to each project, from a small plot of land to a whole region. I am originally from the French Riviera and so I grew up between the mountains and the sea, where I was able to sharpen my perception of varied and impressive landscape shapes. I am now working on honing these skills by carrying out work placements and university exchange schemes abroad and on my own personal travels.”
Marie Tirmarche
“I’m originally from Blois and growing up surrounded by the fascinating heritage sites of the Loire and the châteaus, I developed an appreciation for history. Since my early childhood, I’ve always been interested in art, nature and travelling. My parents introduced me to landscape thanks to the many holidays we went on together, exploring new places and new cultures, and my mother passed on her passion for plants to me. As I was very keen on architecture and art, I chose to specialise my baccalaureate in applied art so that I could develop my creative side and explore the various aspects of design. Then I enrolled in the School of Nature and Landscape and I am currently in my fourth year. I have been able to combine art and plants in my landscaping projects. During my studies, I have had the chance to develop my knowledge on work placements abroad, in Ireland for example where I worked in the gardens of a manor house, combining history and architecture in the tree-lined grounds. Then, I did some work experience at an agency in California, where I was able to learn about new ways of designing spaces. Now, I like travelling so I can discover new cultures and new landscapes to enrich my perception of my future job as a landscape engineer. After graduating, I would like to work for a specialist firm so I can design and create future developments for both urban areas and the countryside.”
Hugo Jeegers
“I am from Haute-Savoie and I am proud of my roots. I grew up in the highlands of a small mountain village called Thones, the capital of reblochon cheese. My father was a gardener and landscaper and my mother was a botanist and horticulturist. I am and I have always been a great fan of the mountains, nature and especially plants. When I started my studies in gardening ten years ago, I took great pleasure in building, working with the earth and plants using my hands, all for the pleasure of other enthusiasts like me. Nothing has changed since then in that respect. However, my creativity, my approach and my thought process have all evolved and I needed and wanted to work on them more and build on them. Social and environmental issues are priorities for me, and I am especially concerned about the issue surrounding water. That is why the professions of gardener and landscape designer appeal to me so much. They are multi-disciplinary professions that allow me to really make a difference to landscape, to my own landscape. I soon crossed paths with landscapers and gardeners who played a significant role in my studies, especially for my vocational qualification (BTS) in landscape design, which I did on a work/study basis, working at Les Jardins des Arcades at the same time. The years I spent building, welding, levelling and above all planting were when I developed my passion for dry landscape gardens, and more specifically for Mediterranean plants. I am now studying landscape design at the School of Nature and Landscape, and I cannot wait to learn more on the job as soon as I have finished my studies. I will also make sure I take the time I need to deepen my knowledge in botany at the same time.”
Hugo Bruley is a landscape designer, founder of the HBLA agency in Paris, and associate university professor at the School of Nature and Landscape at INSA Centre-Val-de-Loire, in Blois. He studied at ENSNP in France and UC Berkeley in the United States, has extensive professional experience and has worked on a great number of projects of varying sizes and nature. He gets involved in every stage of project development and implementation, and so has an all-round vision of landscaping projects. Before creating his own design office in 2020, he worked for international companies such as Integrated Design in India, Peter Walker & Partners in San Francisco, and Michel Desvigne Paysagiste in Paris.
