Hugo’s love of nature is celebrated in new garden
VICTOR HUGO’S connections to nature and Guernsey are now celebrated in a living attraction.
On Saturday, the Victor Hugo Garden at Candie was officially opened.
Anita Walker, Visit Guernsey marketing manager, approached world-renowned horticulturist Raymond Evison and the Victor Hugo in Guernsey Society chairwoman Dinah Bott to create it.
‘There was a general desire to better preserve Victor Hugo’s connections to Guernsey,’ Ms Walker said.
Across the island a trail of attractions will be installed to follow Hugo’s island life, of which the garden is part.
‘So much of Guernsey was important to his works and personal life.
‘We have areas which focus on Hugo as a politician, a family man, a writer, but one area we hadn’t focused on was his connection to nature and the environment.’
Planning for the project, which is funded by Visit Guernsey, started two years ago, but work was delayed by lockdowns.
Flora is extensively referred to in Hugo’s literature, which was scoured by Ms Bott, so that every detail is considered meticulously.
References of plants from his texts and research is available on QR codes, placed in the garden at Mr Evison’s suggestion.
‘We have planters made by Clip [Creative Learning In Prison], since Hugo was very much against capital punishment and advocated against it from Guernsey. The quotes are lovely and there are pages of research on the QR codes explaining it all. He really was quite an incredible gentleman.’
These codes can be scanned with a mobile device camera connected to the internet.
Bailiff Richard McMahon attended with his wife Sue-Yin, and read an extract on the garden on Rue Plumet from Les Miserables, which was published while Hugo lived in Guernsey.
Hugo’s dedication to Guernsey in Toilers of the Sea, as a rock of hospitality and liberty, still resonates today, Mr McMahon said, as the island prepares for visitors.
