French gardens: the best gardens to visit in the Loire Château et Jardins de Villandry First-time visitors should resist the temptation to rush straight to the renowned Renaissance vegetable garden. Instead, head for the château to view the grounds from its tower so you can take in its scale and then plan a route. You will see that beyond the potager there are other formal gardens; note how they sit in the surrounding landscape. If you want an escape on a hot, crowded day, wander into the forest. Since 2009 there have been several additions. The present owner, Henri Carvallo, has created two gardens planted with perennials, saying with some understatement: "There are already enough annuals." Also nearby is a new garden for children and a maze. The organic vegetable garden is replanted twice a year, so looked fresh when I visited in September. There is a booklet in English and a kitchen garden weekend (Sept 28&29) so that you can find out how they control pests without using Enviromesh. Château du Rivau Eric and Patricia Laigneau fell in love with the white tufa fairy-tale castle 20 years ago and have since restored it and the surrounding courtyard and grounds. The buildings are medieval but artist Patricia's plantings are contemporary, taking inspiration from fairy tales, art and literature. This playful approach makes it an excellent destination for a family day out. Even if the children are too old for fairytales, dressing up and playgrounds, there are still photo opportunities next to giant art works of wellington boots, flower pots and a watering can. Plus a multimedia show about horses, in the stables. Plant lovers should head for the fragrant rose collection near the castle walls, then take in the colourful Potager de Gargantua while lunching in the courtyard. Winter squash are a particular feature in autumn. Events in 2013 include jousting on July 14 and a pumpkin festival on September 8. Château de Valmer Set on the flank of a hillside, the 16th-century terracing is impressive. This is a peaceful spot with good views and an interesting destination for wine and plant lovers. On this family-run estate, Jean de Saint Venant and his father take care of the vineyard, leaving his mother, Alix, in charge of the garden. As a biologist, landscape designer and hands-on gardener, Alix is well qualified for the task, although the very dry, alkaline soil is a challenge. The highlight of summer is the kitchen garden, laid out in the classic, formal way but filled with rare edibles, including heirloom and local varieties. Since this area was restored in 2000, Alix has conserved 3,000 varieties (1,000 are grown each year with the others frozen as seeds). She plans to simplify the kitchen garden, to focus on plants that encourage pollinating insects and to grow fewer subjects but in greater quantities. As she concludes: "The key purpose of a kitchen garden is to have something to eat." Check the website before visiting, as it is not open every day. Château de Chenonceau The history, architecture and river setting alone make this a popular destination but the gardens hold their own. Last September, the vegetable and flower garden was still full of colour from the rows of flowers grown for cutting: dahlias, alstroemerias, cleomes, celosias, asters, ornamental grasses and particularly impressive amaranthus. This garden supplies fresh cut flowers for the château, and you might see a florist at work in one of the outbuildings. The lives of two historical figures, Diane de Poitiers and Catherine de Medici, dominate the château and each created her own garden near the river Cher. It is worth walking around both gardens to get a sense of scale and plantings. Alain Roger, the head gardener, likes to keep up the rivalry between the two women by having contrasting colour themes in each garden. The bedding plants are replaced twice a year to ensure a good show. Alain shows his flair and experience as there are some lovely combinations. Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire The international garden festival held here (until October 20 this year), provides a rich and exciting experience for family groups and those interested in contemporary garden design and art. You can tailor your visit with different ticket options; the festival stays open until 8pm and there are night visits. The theme this year is Gardens of Sensations, a particularly good universal choice. I visited on the second day and, while not all the individual gardens were finished, the sound gardens were working and I was pleased to see that the surrounding hedging had matured over the years, making each garden a real discovery. The well-tended historic park with specimen trees also has impressive artwork; the wicker piece by American sculptor Patrick Dougherty is a draw, and it is worth a visit to the stables to see the installations by the Austrian artist, Klaus Pinter. A new area with three different Chinese gardens is nearing completion. One promises a "fog" experience every 10 minutes. Finally, don't forget to visit the château and take in the view over the Loire. Les Jardins de Roquelin The French come here to see an English-style rose garden, set in a rustic farm rather than a château. This is a family home and the garden is the work of M. Chassine. Seeing how the plants ramble about, it is hard to believe the garden is only 10 years old. If you don't speak French, pick up an English leaflet with organic tips. Most of the 500 roses, a mix of old and new varieties, are labelled with variety, breeder and year. There are good examples growing through trees and over home-made supports. There's a sundries shop, a small nursery and seating for drinks. Entry for children is free and they might enjoy the crowing cockerels. Combine your trip with a visit to state-owned Château de Talcy, a country estate with a walled garden containing well-trained fruit (monuments-nationaux.fr). It's a good idea to stop in Meung-sur-Loire for lunch en route, as there aren't many places to eat in Talcy. Arboretum des Grandes Bruyères Don't be put off by the name "arboretum of heathers"; think of it instead as "the lost garden of the wild forest." The garden started 45 years ago, soon after Monsieur and Madame de la Rochefoucault left Paris seeking more space for their family. An early decision not to use chemicals made it tough-going at first, because nothing seemed to grow. But now, and with the creation of large ponds along the way, the garden is a habitat for insects, amphibians and birds. Growing rare trees and shrubs and keeping careful records is a mutual interest for the owners, so it is indeed an arboretum with 25 acres and more than 6,000 woody plants. The Far East species are separated from the North American species by a wide grass path. The couple have the French National Collections of magnolia, cornus and American oaks. Much of the layout is informal with curved beds edged with heathers. After starting with a pot bought in England, they found heathers do so well on the sandy soil, they became a key feature. The garden is only open on Sundays and holidays, April to November; check the website. Gorgeous gardens of the Loire: in pics