The Carré des Jardiniers contest 2021: five incredible talents - but one winner!
Each finalists proposed their vision of a garden, showing the landscaping sector’s creativity and excellence.
On December 1st, the Carré des Jardiniers 2021 jury returned its long-awaited verdict. Emblematic gardens contest President Jean Mus announced the winner after a very colorful speech which captivated the audience. Each in their own way, the five finalists proposed their personal vision of a “garden for lovers of (the good things in) life,” interpreting the landscaping sector’s creativity and excellence. Flashback on these ephemeral and original gardens which captured everyone’s attention!
Franck SERRA won the Master Gardener 2021 title and also the Student Jury’s Prize
It was team work which carried the day! With his “Human & Sensual” garden, Franck SERRA took his team to a double victory and a very moving awards ceremony. This year, students as well as jury members decided in favor of this virtuous garden, combining environmental friendliness with gracious living and wellbeing.
© Photo credit Alexandre Moulard
In this environmentally-friendly ephemeral garden, visitors find the quintessence of answers to current challenges. A canopy and a food garden, for biodiversity. A big table for sharing, living together and friendship. Permeable, natural, fertile soils, symbolizing resistance and symbiosis with living nature. Water has pride of place with a fountain, surrounded by organic cocoons in which to stretch out - an invitation to relaxation in a space which protects and preserves life!
The whole garden respects the living world to create a friendly environment combining everything gracious livers find attractive. Turning around a space for gracious living and a space for wellbeing, the whole garden answers Mankind’s quest.
— Franck SERRA
Congratulations to his team made up of:
- Clément Rouret / Team Manage
- Bastien Roussel / Team Manage
- Florian Defrance / BTSA in landscaping
- Tommy Guichard / Apprentice
Helene PEPIN and her “À table!” garden
The ideal place to meet friends for a meal! Hélène PEPIN’s ephemeral garden even relooks the idea of a table, which stands as a centerpiece, like a throne. Visitors sit at the table and benefit from the luxuriant garden and its fruits just waiting to be picked. A remarkable job was done on the strolling corridors, making it possible to meet and cross without stopping. Outside the garden, woodlands are suggested by a carpet of plants like undergrowth.
Thinking about food is a pleasure in itself. And emotions plant seeds in our memories. To be able to share a passion for plants through edible varieties seems to be a good way into the theme
— Hélène PÉPIN
Congratulations to her team made up of:
- Christophe Gillet / Lighting - Entreprise MAWA - INVERLIGHT
- Antoine Tabareau / National Manager of the institute of the trades of nature, the garden and landscapes
- Eugène MARELLE / Mission manager for Les Compagnons du Devoir and the Tour de France
- Camille BOUGUYON
Stéphane FRITSCH and his “Cultivate our wellbeing” garden
Under a tree, close to water, in the shade of a pergola or beside a good barbecue, Stéphane Fritsch’s landscape makes you want to settle down comfortably and find happiness in dawdling and contemplation. Visitors to Paysalia, welcomed by a sand rose topped by a statue, sauntered through several different plant sceneries including a fountain, a relaxation zone, an office, a kitchen garden and a dining table. A magnificent ode to relaxation illustrated by beautiful lighting!
For me this garden expresses, awakens and stimulates the five senses and creates a perfect harmony. There are always dreams, emotions and beauty. The garden allows us to live multi-sensorial experiences.
— Stéphane FRITSCH
Congratulations to his team made up of:
- Julien FALCH / BTS landscaping student
- Alexandre KITTER / BAC PRO landscaping student
- Benjamin CARREY / BEP and Bac Pro landscaping student
- Théo BOULAY / Bac Pro landscaping student
Guillaume LACHANA and his “Urban gardens, country gardens, living gardens”
An ingenious ephemeral garden! With his plants, Guillaume LACHANA encourages visitors to think about the fertility of soils. On the one hand, an out-of-ground garden in a hostile environment. On the other, a countryside garden populated of levitating trees. A twenty metre long tree trunk forms an original border: machined as a bench on the city side and left rough on the country side. The key is the landscape which invites visitors to awaken all their senses and wander through urban and rural cultures.
The rarefaction of arable lands obliges us to innovate and propose alternatives which respect agronomic rules for soils that we know will guarantee good plant growth.
— Guillaume LACHANA
Congratulations to his team made up of:
- Ghislain GONTHIER / Apprentice
- Alexandre SALMON / Foreman
- Anthony DUARTE / Foreman and Manager
- Bastien LACHANA / Clerk of the works
Matthias ORSI and his “Oasis of the Future”
What could an oasis look like in the years to come? Probably like the original garden imagined by Matthias ORSI, created around a central structure which catches and redistributes water in all its forms via a set of fountains, pools and drains. The further one moves away from the protective and refreshing heart of the garden, the rarer water becomes! So visitors wander between a hanging garden with fruit-bearing climbing plants, a luxuriant garden, a food garden and finally a dry garden which grows around the edges between concrete flagstones.
By following and understanding the cycle of water in nature, our idea is to create the garden by making use of water and imagining an original form of oasis for the 22nd century, by considering water as a treasure in the garden which it shapes: water to be collected, stored and used, without no additions from the outside.
— Matthias ORSI
Congratulations to his team made up of:
- Olivier LOUIS / Clerk of the Works
- Nicolas CHASSAGNE / Foreman
- Jérémy PRAT / Apprentice
- Grégory CACCIOTTO / Landscape Architect DPLG
Discover 10 visions of the Garden for loves of (the good things in) life
We would like to congratulate all five finalists who all demonstrated their creativity and exceptional know-how. We look forward to seeing you again in 2023 for the next edition of the Carré des Jardiniers garden contest!
© Photo credit: Alexandre Moulard