Jardin du Campanin

Jardin du Campanin is a small urban garden in the heart of Menton. The city is famous for its gardens and its blend of French and Italian influences. The Andalusian influence greets you the moment you step in. A seashell fountain fills the centre, and columns carry colourful mosaics. Pergolas and benches are scattered across the whole space, so you can always find a seat in the shade.

The planting is the garden's quiet boast: trees from several continents share one small plot of ground. Strelitzia augusta, the bird of paradise, is native to the Cape region of South Africa. A camphor tree brings its aroma from China, Japan and Taiwan, while the false pepper tree hails from Peru. The weeping fig from tropical Asia sometimes sends aerial roots that form secondary trunks or wrap around the main stem. The Moreton Bay fig comes from eastern Australia and grows far taller at home than it ever does here. Two bottle trees join it, and Brachychiton populneus opens pale yellow or off-white flowers. The common olive and the carob, grown for its edible pods, speak for the Mediterranean.

The most demanding resident may be the bunya bunya, Araucaria bidwillii, an Australian tree with a massive trunk and tough leaves. It cannot tolerate freezing temperatures, and Menton's climate obliges by staying mild. That mildness is what lets a garden this small carry so much of the world.