Serre de la Madone

Created between 1924 and 1939 by the Anglo-American landscape designer Lawrence Johnston, Serre de la Madone is a masterpiece of 20th-century garden design, classified in its entirety as a historic monument. Conceived as a “garden of green rooms,” it combines botanical experimentation with the aesthetics of the Arts and Crafts movement.

Site History

Lawrence Johnston, already renowned for creating Hidcote Manor in England, acquired an agricultural property above Menton in 1924. Over 15 years, he transformed it into an experimental acclimatization garden of international scope, introducing rare species from his botanical expeditions to Africa, Asia, India and the Americas. He organized the site into terraces with pools, pergolas, belvederes and paths, creating successive “rooms” of plants designed as living tableaux.

After Johnston’s death in 1958, the garden passed through private hands and declined, losing much of its original character. Saved from disappearance, it was classified as a historic monument in its entirety in 1990 and acquired by the Conservatoire du littoral in 1999. Initial restorations were undertaken in the 2000s, and in 2022–2023, management of the site was entrusted to the Association pour la sauvegarde des jardins d’exception du Mentonnais (ASJEM), in partnership with the City of Menton.

About the Project

A four-phase master plan, validated in 2022, guides the restoration:

• Phase 3 (2025–2026; current project): restoration of the villa, paths, fountains, basins, benches, pergolas and statuary; replanting of key botanical ensembles; and installation of new interpretive signage

Phase 3 is critical to recovering the historic coherence of the garden and to providing visitors with a complete cultural and educational experience.

Serre de la Madone Today

The garden covers nearly nine hectares of terraced slopes above Menton. Its design interweaves architecture, water features and three national collections of plants recognized for their rarity and diversity.

Since 2022, ASJEM has revived the site’s cultural and scientific mission, with guidance from a committee chaired by Laurent Le Bon, President of the Centre Pompidou. Open 11 months out of the year, Serre de la Madone now welcomes about 10,000 visitors annually, plus 3,000 schoolchildren. It participates in the Journées du Patrimoine, the Rendez-vous aux Jardins and special centenary events. Activities include guided tours, conferences, artist residencies and educational workshops.

The restoration of the villa, fountains, paths and statuary will consolidate Serre de la Madone as an international reference for heritage gardens, reconnecting the site to Johnston’s original vision as a place of acclimatization, experimentation and transmission.