The Belgian landscape architects Jacques and his sons Martin and Peter have designed some of the most beautiful gardens in Europe. I love their dramatic command of space and strong sculptural forms, their work combines a modernist aesthetic with a respect for tradition and the spirit of place. At the family home in Schoten, near Antwerp, a former gardener's cottage attached to an eighteenth-century estate, they have created in their private garden a laboratory for experiment on an intimate scale.
I came across them because of the work they did for the gardens of the Louvre around the Arc Du Petit Carrousel. The use of hedges and the playfull walks you can make, enjoying the height differences and views, make it worth a visit. Well everybody visiting passes through anyway.
It's hard to find good photos of what I'm talking about. Behind the Maillols you can see the garden, but you cannot look inside. But once you are there you should walk through.
A cute film on the Maillol statues, with more Wirtz in the background
Finally the Wirtz website
