PARADISA LOST

Who: Lady Katherine & YOU!
When: Holy Backdating! December 23rd
Where: The Gardens of Château de Bagatelle
What: A Walking Tour of the Gardens - which are all decorated for Christmas! (says me!)
NOTE: Feel free to just be visiting Katherine, she'll be dressed for the era when the Gardens were first installed in 1777. Feel free to also note the FAIRIES that are floating around the gardens for added light and a whimsical element. Feel free to be part of any of the tours. Day, Afternoon, or Evening. Come in at the end of the tour, wander the gardens and let Katherine run into you. WHATEVER YOU WANT. I'm flexible.




Katherine actually appreciates the garden for what it's worth. The time and effort that had gone into it to maintain its appearance for all those years. In a way, she finds comfort in something that keeps its beauty from year to year. As she leads the tour group through the rows of flowers and well-manicured hedges, she smiles.

"There were at least eight-hundred workers employed for the upkeep of the Château, not all of them in the gardens, but with the rolling acreage, there was definitely no race to see who would be the one to take care of the lawns."

Continuing through the rows, she points out a few plants noting their ability to still show bold colors even in the colder climates.

"Most of the formal gardens were linked to the outlying property pieces through underground tunnels, and in time the smaller space was expanded to create a much larger piece of landscaping around them. Designed by Scottish garden-designer Thomas Blaikie, the naturalistic style was dotted with sham ruins, an obelisk, a pagoda, primitive hermits' huts and grottoes. If you'll follow me, we'll head to view the grottoes next."

Katherine takes her dress in her hands, helping to carry the weight of the full skirt as she moves to continue toward the rest of the tour. No doubt, she's recited most of these lines so many times by now that they're either memorized or simply a chore. Regardless, she's grateful that this is her job and not something else.