From New York to Thiré, the gardener Liman Cheng gives us a glimpse of his work in William Christie's gardens

• How did you hear about this foundation? 

Liman Cheng : My name is Liman Cheng, I am a gardener. I found out about William Christie’s Garden from the French Heritage Society, and when I saw the description of the garden on Les Arts Florissants’ website, how there were different gardens within the garden, I was very excited to come here and learn about a different style and technique from the United States. I thought this could be a fantastic opportunity, even more since I have always wanted to live in France.

• What is the difference, between the type of garden you’ve been used to working in, and this garden in particular? 

Liman Cheng: The last garden that I worked on was in New York City and it is called Little Island NYC. It is a spectacular garden built on the Hudson River. It is elevated 66 feet above sea level and it has had over a million of visitors since it opened in 2021. I was the first horticulturist there. The difference between here and there, is that the garden there is not so much about the structures, but more about the natural habitat and structure of the plants and the flowers, the layering of the plants and the secession within the four seasons - spring, summer, fall and winter. While here, from what I see (but I have only been here for a few weeks and I still have a lot to learn), it is more about the structure: the structure of the plants, but also the overall structure of the place and the symmetry.

 What makes William Christie’s Gardens so unique, is the fact that this is a garden envisioned by Mr. Christie, it is made of many different rooms, so that you can enjoy different experiences in each part, but also the garden as a whole.

• What have you discovered here, in terms of techniques, knowledge on plants, soils, gardening…?

 Liman Cheng: The soil here is very different from what we have in the US. It seems very clay and hard, and supposedly alkaline, which is not what I am used to in the US, which is a more acidic soil. So it is very interesting to see what grows here and what grows there, and the similarities that work in both. I have also learned a lot about shrubberies and trees, while in the US I was so immersed in perennials. Here you have Carpinus and Tilia cordata which are used as hedges, as well as your hazelnut allee which is quite beautiful… those are the different species that I am currently learning about. I have also seen them in the US, but they are used differently. I am also learning a lot about “la taille”, which is like trimming and pruning these hedges to make them almost perfect, to create these symmetries and these lines.

• What is your favorite part of the garden? And why?

 Liman Cheng: I love the cloister garden (which is where we are seating now). I think it is so peaceful: you have the water running… it just seems very calm and organized. There are quite a few plants, but it does not look so: you need to look to find them. I really love this place!