The gardens of Château de Hautefort

French Garden

The Hautefort estate boasts more than 3 hectares of boxwood parterres punctuated by surprisingly shaped topiaries, all pruned by hand twice a year. More unusual is the planted pergola, a long tunnel of greenery almost 70 metres long, where you can enjoy a refreshing drink. The huge espalier of magnolias overlooks the Hautefort flowerbed, made up of 10,000 box trees...

The castle

Château de Hautefort, the jewel in the crown of Périgord, boasts a history stretching back thousands of years and an architecture that is unique in the region. Situated on a rocky outcrop where a medieval fortress once stood, then transformed in the 17^th century, it is the only classical building in the Dordogne, and a shining example of the French refinement inherited from Versailles.

The rich art collections in the rooms, the elegance of the formal gardens, the vast English park with its emblematic cedar tree, and the 17^th-century bread oven, still in use today, make Hautefort a must-see site in the Périgord.

Preserved and restored by its various owners over the years, and still inhabited today, Château de Hautefort invites you to enjoy an exceptional experience at the heart of an emblematic monument that is both a witness to past centuries and looking to a promising future.

The gardens

Château de Hautefort already had formal gardens in the 17th century. But these were redesigned over the following centuries to make way for the gardens we admire today.

The gardens in figures

The Hautefort estate also boasts more than 3 hectares of boxwood parterres punctuated by topiaries of astonishing shapes, pruned entirely by hand twice a year. More unusual is the planted pergola, a long tunnel of greenery almost 70 metres long, where you can enjoy a refreshing drink. The huge espalier of magnolias overlooks the Hautefort flowerbed, made up of 10,000 box trees…

Taking action for the planet

Château de Hautefort favours a policy of sustainable management of its green spaces. 100% of boxwood pruning is carried out using hand shears, and 30% of yew pruning. Shredded plants are used to make mulch, which reduces evaporation and enriches the soil.

A little history

In 1853, the Count of Choulot undertook a complete overhaul of the gardens at Hautefort at the request of Baron Maxence de Damas, who owned the château through his marriage to Charlotte de Hautefort in 1818.

Choulot created an ambitious plan for Hautefort that reflected his desire to integrate the château, gardens, parkland and surrounding landscape into a coherent, harmonious whole. The former forecourt was laid out as formal gardens, with lawn parterres bordered by flowerbeds. Another ordered parterre was created at the foot of the courtyard terrace.

The garden continued to be transformed in the 20th century under the Baron and Baroness de Bastard, mainly between 1950 and 1980. On the esplanade, a green gallery of Canadian cedar, lined with a boxwood parterre, replaced the former outbuildings destroyed at the end of the 19th century. The flowerbeds designed by Choulot have been retained, but the lawns and flowers have been replaced by boxwood and topiary (the art of sculpting plants). The terrace to the north is also planted with pruned boxwood, alternating with yew columns. Set out on terraces around the château, the formal gardens form a lush setting for an unforgettable stroll.