The Carré des Jardiniers 2017 finalists

Whether you went to the Jardin, Jardin 2017 show in Paris or not, it is time to reveal the names, and especially the projects, of the Carré des Jardiniers 2017 contest finalists. What do they have in store for you at the new edition of Paysalia hallmarked by wellbeing?

Come into the Carré des Jardiniers

Every two years, le Carré des jardiniers rewards the best landscaping originator and entrepreneur. This event is also an opportunity to launch the latest trends and especially to highlight the business and its values and as 2017 edition patron Louis Benech says “to recognise this sometimes forgotten profession”. The idea is simple. Contestants execute a 100 to 200sq.m. garden to a set theme. But before becoming a finalist they have had a long row to hoe. Out of thirty candidates, 10 were preselected to present their projects to the 16 members of the jury. After deliberation, 5 finalists were retained for the Carré des Jardiniers 2017. One of them will be awarded the title of “Master Gardener”, a 15,000€ cheque and a 50sq.m. space at the 2018 edition of the Jardins, Jardin 2018 Show. According to Sylvère Fournier, Master Gardener 2015, the winner will also carry “the values of the profession, far and wide”.

The theme this year is “Doctor Garden takes good care of you”

The contest theme this year is “Doctor Garden takes good care of you” and focuses on wellbeing and health. It is a well-known fact that gardens do us all good. For 80% of the French, being near a garden is an essential factor when choosing somewhere to live. In public and private housing, gardens are often said to be the lungs of their city and havens of peace. It is not an accident that so many cities are going green... According to Alain Calender, who runs the “Jardin Art et Soin” (“Garden Art and Care”) association, gardens “procure wellbeing for all” and especially for the sick and fragile. More and more therapeutic gardens are installed in health care institutions to provide, over and above a wellbeing space, a new therapeutic approach. And the Carré des Jardiniers 2017 contestants have to use this new approach to compose and execute their gardens.

What surprises are the 4 Carré des Jardiniers finalists going to spring on you?

• Alban de la Tour: Freedom His objective is to “take visitors on a sensory adventure” so that patients forget their diseases and the medical environment for the time of a walk in his garden.
• Anne Cabrol: Happy People Anne Cabrol proposes a garden to visit… barefoot, so that visitors commune with nature to feel the wellbeing better. The artist behind the therapeutic garden of the psychiatric hospital in Bourgoin wants to create a garden that is harmonious, peaceful and accessible.
• Etienne Bourdon: The Therapeutic Garden Etienne Bourdon’s project is based on 3 ideas: “create, relook and elaborate”. Through these concepts he wants to show that gardens can be a therapeutic approach, particularly for patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
• Mathias Bonnin: For All For Mathias Bonnin, gardens are “unique places, bringing peace, serenity and wellbeing”. His project aims to create “total wellbeing” by titillating the 5 senses and working simultaneously with water, plants and minerals.

What the members of the jury are marking…

The finalists will be marked on their creativity, their technique and the values they incarnate. But it’s no secret that every one of the 16 members of the jury expects something more…

Louis Benech, patron of Paysalia 2017, especially wants to see “people enthusiastically committed to what they do […] with authenticity and spontaneity”. Journalist Nicole Maïon, another member of the jury, wants gardens which “fill us with wonder, are easy to live in and encourage conversation and inspire”. And Alain Calender hopes to obtain “true mixity”, and to see “gardeners able to keep a medical eye open […] so their gardens create greater happiness for all.”

This year, gardeners have to solve the usual gardening problems while keeping a particularly benevolent eye on their visitors…

To discover the huge amount of work accomplished by our 5 finalists, come and see them in action on December 5th, 6th and 7th, 2017 at Paysalia. The Master Gardener award will be made on December 6th, but you can be sure that all the gardens created for the occasion are worth spending a few minutes to visit!