The Hazelnut Path, in William Christie's words:
"Stones are a key element of my garden. They point to an appreciation of ruins and a natural extravagance that was hugely popular in 17th- and 18th-century France and Italy. There are many rocaille elements at Versailles as well, not only in the garden groves but also in paintings by landscape artists such as Hubert Robert, whose the “Le Louvre en ruine” was a source of inspiration for this rustic archway."
William Christie
The Hazelnut Path
L'allée des noisetiers en musique
Gardener's word
The nut walk comes alive during the spring, beginning with the starry flowers of the wood anemones, Anemone blanda and Anemone nemorosa. These are followed firstly by drifts of blue Scilla and golden celandines and finally by several varieties of miniature daffodils including Narcissus ‘Pipit’, Narcissus ‘Jack Snipe’ and Narcissus ‘Tête à Tête’
John Hoyland, advisor for garden design at Glyndebourne and William Christie's friend