Roses are blooming  Picardy boasts some of France's most beautiful rose gardens Few couples’ breaks could be more romantic than a leisurely road-trip on the trail of famous garden flowers and especially rose gardens, starting with the Jardins de Valloires an hour from Calais. Let yourself be surprised by eating flowers... Exploring the rose gardens of Hauts-de-France is a delightful way of spending some quality time together and of taking life at a slower pace, absorbing some French art de vivre as you go. Just inland of the elemental Somme Bay, the Jardins de Valloires, are one of places to visit in France. The Jardins de Valloires adjoining the former Cistercian abbey of the same name were designed by landscape gardener Gilles Clément in 1987 and include 5000 species and varieties of ancient roses and rare shrubs, including some of David Austin’s Roses of Picardy. Unusually, you can eat many of the flowers, plants and herbs that grow here in the on-site Restaurant La Table du Jardinier.