La Serre, or Serre de la Madone, is one of the most outstanding gardens built on the French Riviera in the early 20^th century.

It was a Mediterranean garden, conceived for its Mediterranean setting. It must be seen as a Mediterranean garden, carved out of the maquis, or the wonderful Mediterranean scrub that is so characteristic of that area. And when it was initially conceived, it would have been this little botanical gem, stuck as it were, in the center of the suburbs of Menton.

The garden at Serre remains remarkably intact, from when it was laid out in the early 20^th century. The greatest single change that one notices in the garden is that this once was set on a very open hillside with panoramic views across the neighboring countryside and towards the sea. Almost all of these views have been entirely lost. And although the villa retains its qualities as an exceptional oasis, one loses the sense of how important it was in its particular setting. It would be very nice in the future were it possible to open these views once again to make it more responsive, as it were, to the larger environment.

It’s largely known through its builder, Major Lawrence Johnston, who is more famous for having built Hidcote, which is a garden of exceptional interest, and ranks with Sissinghurst among the most famous gardens in England.

But Serre is not Hidcote, Serre is something entirely different, and it stands on its own two feet. The mystery of him actually adds to the intrigue, to me, of the garden. One can look at the garden without knowing much about him, and saying “this man must have known Italian gardens, he must have had a great sympathy for these places, he must have known the Florentine traditions”. The gardens tell you the stories of these people who make them.

The garden is basically created on a large spine, like a fish, and you have a series of terraces, and each one of these had a distinctive character. Some were heavily embroidered by planting, others were left very empty. These were breathing spaces, that were so important in trying to understand the garden. There were various lawns, unencumbered by the planting, to allow your eyes to relax.

Visitors would arrive at the bottom of the valley, and ascend to the garden traveling up a serpentine path. You would arrive at the cour d’honneur, which would take you to the heart of the garden. From here you would look up to see the villa, behind which were a series of terraces lined with fruit trees.

The villa sat overlooking a series of depending, descending terraces all planted with an extraordinary range of exotic and sub-tropical flora.

I think the garden is very atmospheric, and it’s one of those places that has a great deal of magic about it. I think what it needs is a degree of coherency. One must really appreciate that the garden was built around the villa; the villa is central to the composition.

Recently there had been an initiative, a launch, to mark the centenary of the creation of the garden and the aim is to try and restore it as best as possible. It’s on ongoing project for the last several years. So the City of Menton, the Coastal Conservancy, and the Association for the Protection of Exceptional Gardens of Menton have got together with a view to undertaking a comprehensive refurbishment. Which means improving the gardens, as well as the building, and making it once more part of the setting, enhancing the visitor’s experience, and making Johnston’s botanical jewel the pride of the French Riviera.

Todd Longstaffe-Gowan