Garden of Dreams – Australian Garden of Peace

A place of resistance against the entry of the Germans into Amiens during World War II, this site is both honorable and symbolic as the location for a garden paying tribute to the Australian troops who resisted and prevented the capture of Amiens during World War I.

The Garden of Dreams is conceived as a final thought, a journey of the mind, a moment where the confusion of a dream blends with reality – the projection of another place amid the chaos of battle, as an Australian soldier might have imagined. A dreamed landscape for those who would never see their homeland again, sacrificing themselves for peace.

In the heart of a courtyard, like a mirage, visitors discover a vast garden in warm colors that come to life with the shifting sunlight. As they approach, an informal path emerges from the undulating terrain, subtly inviting them to explore the rest of the garden. The pathways are composed of crushed brick and ochre sand, evoking both the red soils of the Australian bush and the ramparts of the citadel.

The contours of the garden are inspired by the scars of World War I, the bomb-ravaged terrain and trenches still visible on the battlefields of the Somme (Beaumont-Hamel). These islands of earth also symbolize the fragmentation of cultures and origins, now gathered here in an archipelago that forms the shared landscape of the alliance of foreign forces engaged in the war.

This topographical play intensifies, guiding visitors toward the center, where the paths narrow within increasingly dense vegetation. The planting progresses in layers: the first ring of islands, furthest from the center, consists of prairie species with resilient perennials and upright blooms. The second ring forms a shrubby border, primarily composed of evergreen shrubs selected to evoke Australian landscapes, like seeds traveling with soldiers. The final ring, closest to the center, is a wooded belt. In autumn, the fiery foliage of serviceberries, Phormium, and Sporobolus floods the garden with warmth, contrasting with the blue-green hues of pines, eucalyptus, mimosas, and sea buckthorns.

Within this last ring, the landscape fragments grow larger. On either side, the walls are reinforced with charred pine stakes, burned using a traditional technique to evoke the oppressive atmosphere of the trenches, creating a sense of enclosure for visitors.

As they descend toward the center, the light is filtered through the tree canopy, immersing visitors in a woodland sanctuary, an atmosphere designed for tribute and reflection.

In this clearing that opens to the sky, seemingly inert rocks bloom with ephemeral white flowers each spring a boundless garden for peace, renewing itself year after year.