We drove to Terrasonn specifically for Les Jardins des l'Imaginaire. We had no preconceived notions about this one, and that was probably a good thing. We saw little of the actual city, though what we saw was enticing, but we ended up at an excellent restaurant that was the day's treat: Restaurant les Agapes.
The Gardens of the Imagination spread across a large hill above the city of Terrasson-Lavilledieu, It is a public park and contemporary garden that the Committee of Parks and Gardens of the Ministry of Culture considers one of the Notable Gardens of France.
Further paraphrasing Wikipedia: The gardens were designed in 1996 by landscape architect Kathryn Gustafson and architect Ian Ritchie. It uses thirteen tableaux to present the myths and legends of the history of gardens—the axis of winds; perspectives; elementary gardens; the sacred wood; the tunnel of vegetation; the theater of greenery; the water garden; the terraces of moss; the topiary garden; the rose garden; the iris garden; and fountains, cascades, and basins. It uses simple natural elements; trees, flowers, water, and stone to suggest the passage of mankind from nature to agriculture to the city.
I'm still undecided seven years later. It was interesting. It's energetic, not least because it's enormous and requires lots of hiking and climbing, which must be done with a guide at a respectable pace. There was a bunch of folks who couldn't make the cut and simply got disinvited at the beginning. Others flaked out and retreated along the way. And it would have been wonderful to be able to linger in places or even drop back to view features from quite different angles. It was a hot day but we marched on.
The website (https://www.france-travel-guide.net/Gardens-of-Imagination.html) notes that: "This is a one-of-a-kind site, in a beautiful location between Sarlat and Lascaux, containing 2,000 rosebushes; 20,000 perennials; 2,500 box hedges; 120 sprays of water; more than 150 plant species; 8,000 trees and bushes including rare species; terraces; a theatre-in-the-green; a hedge tunnel; woodlands; a viewpoint; water gardens; and many other features all overlooking the Vézère river."
I left convinced that it was at last 60 acres; it's only 15. The explanation given by Kathryn Gsutafson is helpful: http://www.nationalbuildingmuseum.net/pdf/gustafson_summary.pdf
Here's a Wiki page with links to gardens of the Dordogne: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Gardens_in_Dordogne
We began exploring the area around the ticket office and gate while we waited for our tour to begin. The first 11 photos are from our wandering. Then it's on with the tour, though I don't think all the themes are truly represented.
When we descended to the office, we were thirsty and hungry. We'd noticed a couple of restaurants before the garden tour and decided on one with a beautiful, deeply shaded patio: Restaurant les Agapes. I'd recommend it heartily, if its still exists:
http://www.terrasson-commerce.com/commercants/hebergement-restauration/hebergement-restauration-restaurant-brasserie/restaurant-les-agapes-terrasson
