work, the Association de Valloires makes the abbey open to paying visitors from March to November. At the same time, its 18th-century suites (originally monastic cells) are open all year round and available as bed-and-breakfast accommodation. From these rooms, above the monks' refectory (illustrated), there are views over the gardens. The Gardens of Valloires Created in 1989 with a collection of over 4000 rare plants, the Jardins de Valloires cover an area of eight hectares. Laid out below the abbey, the gardens are split into three distinct parts: A formal garden in keeping with the abbey building An English style garden, which contains the rare plant collection A marsh wilderness garden. Gilles Clément, the famous landscape gardener was assigned to create the gardens. His ideas integrated the wild environment and the historic character of the place, but with little regard for the monastic garden style. Valloires is very much a contemporary garden. The collection spans a huge variety of species, such as maple, spirea, deutzia, beech, plum and rare apple family members. Certain varieties are unique in Europe. Recently, a new garden has been laid out, dedicated to the work of the naturalist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, born in the Somme department in 1744. External links Official Valloires Website Endowment fund Website for the Abbaye de Valloires Bay de Somme Tourist website Website of the committee of tourism of the Somme: Valloires The abbey as a military hospital Cistercian monasteries in France Buildings and structures in Somme (department) Christian monasteries established in the 12th century Tourist attractions in Somme (department)