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In a little valley near Coutances, the 17th-century Manoir d’Argences is surrounded by eight charming and distinctive gardens, connected by water.

This is a modern landscaped garden with a maze of individually themed areas leading one into another, and more than 2,500 varieties of plants and trees on display.

Five terraces of formal gardens sweep gracefully from the château toward the focal point: an ornate wrought-iron gate bearing the initials of Brécy’s 17th-century owners. The gardens are thought to have been designed by François Mansart.

The highlights of this 18th-century Anglo-French park, with its pretty, Italianate château, are the Chartreuses, a series of walled gardens brimming over with flowers. Statues, a temple and a Chinese pavilion add further interest.

These tranquil public gardens in the heart of the city house a large and important botanical collection, with formal flowerbeds, rare trees, hothouses, orangery, rose garden, rockery, and a collection of medicinal plants.

Each of these contemporary gardens is devoted to one of the five senses – sight, smell, sound, touch and taste. Set in a First Empire park, they include a maze, an orangery and over 2,500 plant species.

There’s plenty for adults as well as children in this landscaped park surrounding the Renaissance château at Clères. Created in 1920 by naturalist Jean Delacour, the garden is populated by flamingoes and exotic ducks, while in the park, animals such as kangaroos, antelopes and gibbons roam in partial freedom.

Built in Louis XIII style in 1632 (and restored after bombing in 1944), the château is notable for its “Rainbow Potager” (vegetable garden), a remarkable sight in summer. There is also a superb avenue of 300-year-old lime trees.

Two national collections – of Meconopsis (Himalayan blue poppy) and Helleborus Orientalis (Lenten rose) – are included in these lovely year-round gardens facing the Forêt d’Eawy.

Edwin Lutyens and Gertrude Jekyll created the park and gardens for Guillaume Mallet, for whom Lutyens also built the house in 1898. Between here and the sea, the valleuse (dry valley) is filled with acid-soil-loving plants such as rhododendrons and azaleas. Artists including Cocteau, Calder, Monet and Braque were frequent visitors in their day.