IN BRIEF
Name Le Grand Launay. What Private garden of rooms with topiary set pieces and evergreen structure connected with water. Where Brittany, northern France. Size Four acres. Soil Poor, acid soil. Climate Temperate with frequent rainfall. Hardiness zone USDA 9.
When Jacqueline and Jean Schalit bought Le Grand Launay in 1973, there was everything to do. The 17th-century manor was neglected, the garden overgrown and the surrounding land used for intensive monoculture. Forty years later, the estate was designated a Jardin Remarquable by the French ministry of culture, the highest accolade awarded to gardens in France – among its ranks are Versailles, Villandry and
