Springhill Stories

In general I try to avoid places where a lot of people gather together, but I make an exception for some garden fairs. For long, even before I had a garden, I loved going to the garden festival of Hex. But since we moved to Wallonia I found out about Les Jardins d’Aywiers in Lasne.

Les jardins d’Aywiers is located at the grounds of an old Cistercian Abbey, founded in 1215. The Abbey had its fair share of glory and misfortune and was rebuilt 3 times. But the French Revolution made an end to it all and the abbey was sold and partly demolished. One part of the abbey was turned into a castle and is still standing today. The 9 hector landscape Parc and gardens are now private property, but opened two weekends a year for a lovely garden fair. The gardens are still surrounded by old walls and are gradually restored. You can admire the aromatic and kitchen gardens and some beautiful old trees.

Next edition of the garden festival takes place next week and boasts 200 exhibitors. Specialised nurseries from Belgium and abroad, landscape designer, artists and many more show and sell their goods to the public. Every time there is also a theme and this autumn it is all about root vegetables. There will be workshops, demonstrations and lectures. Find out the full program on the website.

What makes this fair so enjoyable is the relaxed atmosphere, beautiful surroundings and of course the high quality of exhibitors. And there is plenty opportunities to sit down and enjoy something to eat or drink. And if you still have some time left, you can visit the famous battle grounds of Waterloo, where Napoleon was defeated by Wellington in 1815. They are only 5 km away.

Aywiers Plant and Garden Fair :

Spring 2020 : Friday, May 1st from 10 am to 6:30 pm, Saturday, May 2 from 10 am to 6 pm, Sunday, May 3 from 10 am to 6pm

Autumn 2020 : Friday, October 2 from 12 am to 6 pm, Saturday, October 3 from 10 am to 6 pm, Sunday, October 4 from 10 am to 6pm

Info : http://en.aywiers.be