Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Botanical Garden of Vauville, also known as Jardin du Voyageur, was founded in 1947 by Éric and Nicole Pellerin on the Cotentin peninsula, in the far northwest of Normandy. Covering more than 40,000 m2, it gathers plants from the southern hemisphere, creating a unique subtropical atmosphere under this latitude. Its development uses natural reliefs and shelterbelt hedges to protect fragile species, while using a local stream for aquatic basins.

The garden is distinguished by its variety of plants, including aloe, giant ferns, palm trees and gunneras, adapted to the temperate but windy climate of the region. The Gulf Stream softens temperatures, allowing acclimatization of Mediterranean or exotic species. Its creator, Eric Pellerin, favoured a natural approach, allowing plants to grow freely in a poetic disorder, without artificial constraint.

Recognized for its heritage value, the garden was added to the Supplementary Inventory of Historic Monuments in 1992 and labeled a remarkable Garden in 2004. He has also received prestigious awards, such as that of the French Heritage Society and the Pictet – Jardin – Patrimoine, highlighting his botanical and landscape importance.

Today, the site remains a place of change and conservation, where the multiplicity of foliage (from deep green to silvery green) and rare species, such as Crinum or Trachycarpus, attract visitors. Its maintenance perpetuates the original vision of the Pellerin: a balance between wild nature and cultivated garden.

The garden is inseparable from the castle of Vauville, although it is not detailed in the sources. Its official address (2 Le Moitier, 50440 Vauville) is located in the commune of La Hague, in the department of Manche, in the Normandy region. The GPS coordinates and the Merimée base confirm its anchoring in this maritime territory exposed to the west winds.

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