Arboretum de la Sédelle

Crozant, France, France

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The Arboretum de la Sédelle is a 6-to-10-hectare private botanical garden located in Villejoint, Crozant, in the Creuse department of the Limousin region in central France.

Established in 1980 by Nell and Philippe Wanty on wooded lands along the Sédelle river valley, the arboretum began with maple plantings and has grown to contain more than 370 to 400 taxa of woody plants, making it a site of extraordinary botanical richness. It is particularly famous for its exceptional maple collection, which includes about 100 to 130 taxa of Acer (90 species and subspecies plus cultivars) and is officially certified by the Conservatoire Français des Collections Végétales spécialisées.

The garden also features major collections of Viburnum, Quercus (oaks), Cornus (dogwoods), Euonymus, Rhus, Tilia (lindens), and Liquidambar (sweetgums), along with rhododendrons, hornbeams, sumacs, copalmes, and stewartias, creating a stunning display of 1,000 colors throughout the seasons.

The arboretum is classified as a "Jardin Remarquable" (Remarkable Garden) by the French Ministry of Culture since 2009 and embodies the concept of "Jardins en mouvement" (Gardens in Motion) developed by Gilles Clément, with six natural environments including meadow, holly forest, pond, heather heathland, and granite chaos overlooking the river, all blending harmoniously with recreated American and Chilean forest landscapes.