Petit Trianon: French Garden Parterre SL

Petit Trianon: French Garden Parterre SL (Bumblebee view)

An early spring has given me the gift of renewed energy & inspiration which I am using to tackle my favourite Second Life (SL) endeavour, the Petit Trianon. This project has languished for far too long but improvements to SL building tools were just what was needed to help get it off of the ground again.  So what did I do?  I pulled the whole place apart and started again!!

Though this has resulted in more than a few holes in the walls & floors (if you come for a visit make sure to watch your step) I'm very excited about the progress I have been making.  I'm currently working on the exterior facades and if you know anything about the Petit Trianon it's that each side of the building has its own unique character.

The side facing the French Garden is probably the most beautiful and the most complex with its impressive terrace and a parterre that provides an introduction to Le Jardin Français home to the French Pavilion.  It's very interesting to note that beneath  the terrace is a network of passageways which were used to keep the servants out of sight and facilitate their movement from the outdoors to the kitchen and preparation areas of the Ground Floor.  For some reason those passageways were always my particular bête noire when building so I'm very relieved to have them almost finished.

Sadly, over the years the parterre has disappeared from the Petit Trianon in RL but I was fortunate enough to have some old plans and photos showing the layout.  As you can see, I've taken a few liberties with my SL version including adding a small water feature and what I think is some much needed shade.

My first planting of the garden was definitely a treat that I have been looking forward to for a very long time.  It turned out to be very "spring" inspired which seemed rather fitting with both the season and my current mood.

Please feel free to drop by and enjoy the French Garden Parterre.  Just remember that if you venture into the chateau you're going to have to watch out for those gaps in the floorboards!!