La Bambouseraie en Cévennes
La Bambouseraie is a sprawling botanical garden that has been growing plants since 1856 and is one of the oldest bamboo collections in Europe, now home to over 1,300 varieties. Some of the giant bamboo species reach 25 metres and walking through them feels like being inside a cathedral made of green. The light filtering down through the canopy shifts constantly and the vertical lines of the stems give you clean, graphic compositions almost anywhere you point the camera. Beyond the bamboo there is a lot more to shoot. An avenue of century old Californian sequoias towers over the pathways. Japanese and Chinese gardens sit alongside water features and a Zen garden. A Laotian village built by a staff member from Laos is a faithful reproduction of traditional Lao architecture, complete with decorative detailing. Greenhouses house orchids and carnivorous plants for macro work. There is even a plant labyrinth made from a dense Japanese bamboo species. Early mornings and weekdays are the quietest times to visit. The garden is open from late February to mid-November, with extended hours in summer. (Générargues, Gard, France)
