An optional pre-symposium will take place in Paris and Giverny from August 21 to 23 for those who want to be immersed in the world of Claude Monet. You will visit the remarkable Orangerie Museum in Paris, which is a shrine to Monet’s huge waterlily murals, and then spend the day in Giverny touring Monet’s actual home and water garden, visiting the impressionism museum and hearing from guest lecturer Caroline Holmes, who is a British garden historian, consultant, author and lecturer.
The main symposium will be located at the source of Monet’s legacy, the nursery whose colorful waterlily hybrids turned Monet’s pond into his signature subject. Located in the tiny village of Le-Temple-sur-Lot, the nursery created by Joseph Bory Latour-Marliac has been in continuous operation since he founded it in 1875. It is here, at the birthplace of contemporary water gardening in Europe, where you will stay to share your passion for water gardening in 2019.
The educational sessions will take place on Saturday and Sunday at venues around the village and at the nursery, where we will be treated to some fascinating keynotes, presentations, panel discussions and workshops. Guest Lecturers include Dr. Nopchai Chansilpa of Thailand, Florian Henaux and Thierry Huau of France, Carlos Magdalena of London and Rich Sacher of the United States. Neighboring gardens and sight visits — including fantastic water gardens in the neighboring Périgord region — are also part of the program, so you will not only learn, but explore as well!
On Monday morning, you will move toward southwestern France’s most vibrant and famous city: Bordeaux. You will visit the vineyards and have lunch around the famous and picturesque wine producing town of Saint-Emilion. Bordeaux is also home to at least two other wonders: its botanical garden, whose excellent aquatics section we will visit, and its French cuisine! France has two proper capitals of gastronomy, Lyon and Bordeaux, so we couldn’t dream of a better location than Bordeaux for our gala dinner on Monday evening.
Following the main symposium, informal post-symposium activities will be offered from Tuesday Aug. 27 onward. For more information, visit www.iwgs.org and register online today!
