Set in the grounds of the impressive Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire, the International Garden Festival is an annual contemporary garden and landscape festival featuring a range of (210 m2) show gardens that are open to visitors from April to November. The show welcomes some 550,000 visitors every year.
The theme of the 2025 edition is focused on a magical voyage of discovery. Along with a strong commitment to the environment, designers showcased gardens that tell stories – through the lens of fairytales.
Forxcalibur
The Forxcalibur garden designed by Will Dutch, Ros Hering and Tin-Tin Azure-Marxen from the Dutch Landscape Studio aims to showcase the power of community spirit- where the ability to change the world lies within the hearts of every individual, not just a singular hero.
The designers explain that the journey through the garden begins at an overgrown ruin, where the fairytale takes root. Nature has reclaimed the space, and the walls are formed from stacked logs to create a variety of habitats. As one ventures further, you encounter a series of human interventions designed to support biodiversity—from log piles and stacked timber to cascading water features. The pools offer moments for reflection and create vital habitats and transitional zones where nature and humanity interact.
At the rear of the garden stands a sculpture named Forxcalibur – a giant gardening fork assembled from reclaimed steel. Dutch explains that the sculpture captures the essence of the garden, where every gardener and gardening tool can contribute to collective change. “Throughout Forxcalibur, both traditional and inventive approaches to habitat creation are explored, alongside simple planting combinations using readily available species complemented by carefully chosen specimens,” said Dutch.
The judges awarded the garden the Prize for Creation for its remarkable visual and conceptual effectiveness. “It is both innovative and remarkably green. It is very aesthetically pleasing, perfectly in keeping with the 2025 theme: the myth of Excalibur revisited as an ode to collective work. Walking through the garden allows for a true stroll, with the soothing and relevant presence of water, filtered through several pools,” explained the judges.
The 2025 International Garden Festival runs until the 2nd of November, 2025.
