There’s a lot of dock land development along the banks of the Loire in Nantes. The part which intrigued me most was the “Jardin Extraordinaire” – the extraordinary garden. It’s been created in an old quarry area known as the “Misery Quarry”, and, wow, has somebody transformed that land! There’s a 25 metre high waterfall, winding paths through bamboo and exotic plants. It feels like stepping into another world.
Look at this plant, for example. I have no idea what it’s called but it literally stopped me in my tracks. Isn’t it stunning? Isn’t it beautiful? Isn’t it utterly extraordinary?
The combination of colours and shapes make it appear like an explosion of life. I love it!
The whole garden has a feel of abundance and richness, although it’s obviously still pretty early days in terms of development with several signs indicating the plants are fragile so take care around them.
I’ve read up a little about this garden which was only created in September 2019. The old name of the “misery quarry” dates back to the 17th century before it became a quarry. It was said that the “miséreux”, the destitute, took shelter there. As a quarry it was a source of granite.
How wonderful to see this kind of reclamation. Well done, Nantes!
Heroes Not Zombies 
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