Major Johnston’s Jardin de la Madone in Menton

Jardin de la Madone also known as Serre de la Madone (Hill of the Madonna) is located in Menton in southern France. The garden is famous for the design and the collection of rare plantings and of course for the man who created this beautiful garden, Lawrence Johnston.

Major Johnston traveled to all corners of the world for his plant hunting expeditions, many of the plants that he collected ended up in his garden in Great Britain, Hidcote Manor Garden (1907), witch is one of the most famous gardens of the world.

Jardin de la Madone was created in the period between 1924- 1939 and offered an excellent site for the plants Johnston collected from subtropical regions. The garden lies on a hillside in the Gorbio Valley with a farmhouse to witch Major Johnstone added two large wings. Over the years he created a series of terraces among old olive trees, planted and tended by twelve gardeners.

After Johnston’s death in 1958 the garden had several owners and wasn’t always maintained with the respect it deserved. In 1999 Jardin de la Madone was purchased by the non-profit organisation Conservatoire du Littoral who began restoring it to Major Johnston’s original design.

The garden contains a collection of subtropical plants centered around a double pool and rising in terraces. Johnston used hedges and low walls to divide the garden into discrete areas.