The orchard
“By their fruit you will recognise them”
In Picardy, orchards represent a model that generates an environment naturally rich in plant and animal species. Orchards were full of apple, pear, plum and cherry trees: fruits suited to the climate and soil of the region.
The worm in the apple!
The trees were spaced at a wide distance apart allowing for grazing pasture beneath them. This symbiosis: grazing and fruitgrowing promoted the development of sustainable, seasonal agriculture. The land was full of hedge-enclosed pastures teeming with insects and flowers, just like the hugely colourful palettes of impressionist painters.
You don’t cut down the tree to have the fruit!
Chasing profits, changing tastes, choices in business for standardised, graded fruit, the urbanisation of the countryside or even the abandonment of old orchards are just some of the root causes behind the disappearance of this tradition.
Here, it’s a hive of activity…
By replanting this orchard, simultaneously a carbon sink and a refuge for biodiversity, the Domaine du Val has made a genuine choice for the environmental landscape and has renewed the connection with the land, for a more sustainable future.
A veritable 4-star hotel for insects such as the honey bee… Yum!
A veritable 4-star hotel for insects such as the honey bee… Yum!
The domaine du val reserve
