An original sightseeing circuit for those who love beautiful gardens!

Right across the wonderful landscape of the Loire Valley, the Sologne and the Berry, seven parks and gardens and two iris producers have joined forces to create a ‘floral circuit’ to discover the world of the iris, whose flowers offer a virtually infinite range of colour combinations...

During May, sandwiched between the tulip and the rose flowering seasons, you can discover a whole range of irises including new varieties, planted up for presentation at the nurseries of two local world-renowned iris producers: Mr Bourdillon and Mr Cayeux. Hundreds of varieties spread across several acres creating an explosion of colours and fragrances !

The 7 participating Parks and Gardens, most of which having earned the quality label « Jardin Remarquable », display large and professionnally managed collections of irises, allowing you to see them at their best, set against a verdant backdrop and sometimes mingled with other plants. A true inspiration for the gardener !

Between Orleans and Nevers, the Route d’Iris can be completed in 2, or 3 or 4 days, according to how many of the sites you choose to visit.

Depending on the weather, the peak flowering period for tall bearded irises is usually the second half of May: don’t hesitate to contact the producers from the end of April onwards to check the best period for you to set off on your Route d’Iris adventure in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France and work out your route.