A house clinging to the slope, facing the sea
On the peninsula, few houses are built on the flat. The house grips the hillside, the sea fills the horizon, and the land steps down in levels. Those levels are the garden: each stone terrace carries one use, a shaded table, a pool, a dry border, a path down.
The pines do the rest. They give shade, scent and the silhouette you see from the water… and roots that lift paving and push walls. We survey them one by one before drawing, have the health of the largest checked, and set new walls clear of their base.
Rare plants, chosen in the field. An ancient olive, a collection palm or a subtropical rarity is not ordered from a catalogue. The studio selects and tags them itself at the nursery: in Sicily at Piante Faro, at the foot of Etna; in Elche at Viveros Valero for ancient olives; near Rome at Vivaio Aumenta for large palms. We then check that each specimen will take the acid soil and the wind of the peninsula, and organise its transport.
The pines do the rest. They give shade, scent and the silhouette you see from the water… and roots that lift paving and push walls. We survey them one by one before drawing, have the health of the largest checked, and set new walls clear of their base.
Rare plants, chosen in the field. An ancient olive, a collection palm or a subtropical rarity is not ordered from a catalogue. The studio selects and tags them itself at the nursery: in Sicily at Piante Faro, at the foot of Etna; in Elche at Viveros Valero for ancient olives; near Rome at Vivaio Aumenta for large palms. We then check that each specimen will take the acid soil and the wind of the peninsula, and organise its transport.
International owners, discreet gardens
Working for owners who live abroad starts with a schedule that can be read from afar. We fix the works calendar around your stays, send an illustrated report after each visit, and only ask you for the decisions that are yours. We work in French or in English.
Discretion is part of the brief. We deal with you, your architect, your estate manager, your caretaker or your family office, as your household is organised. When the house has an estate manager, they become our relay on site: access, contractors' schedule, deliveries. No photograph of your garden is published without written consent, and we sign a non-disclosure agreement on request.
Discretion is part of the brief. We deal with you, your architect, your estate manager, your caretaker or your family office, as your household is organised. When the house has an estate manager, they become our relay on site: access, contractors' schedule, deliveries. No photograph of your garden is published without written consent, and we sign a non-disclosure agreement on request.
Our projects on the peninsula and in the Var
A sea-facing villa in Ramatuelle: a garden of about 1,000 m² around a house set into the slope, on several stone terraces under the pines, with a dry palette of agaves, yuccas and euphorbias. Currently in design.
Terraced garden facing the sea at La Londe-les-Maures: one hectare in a listed site, on the other side of the Maures hills; garrigue, cork oaks and olives facing the salt marshes.
Terraced garden above Nice: about 2,000 m² of slope with no lawn, from full sun to a shade jungle, completed in 2025.
Technical notes for the peninsula (articles in French)
Calade or flat stone on the Riviera: two ways to pave a terrace or a path.
Planting on the Riviera: Mediterranean plants in autumn, palms and succulents in other seasons.
Moving large trees: delivering a specimen up a narrow, sloping drive.
Ancient olives at Viveros Valero: trunks chosen in the field before planting.
Piante Faro, at the foot of Etna: palms and subtropical plants as large specimens.
We also work at Cap Ferrat, in Cannes and at Cap d'Antibes, and across the Var (page in French).
Terraced garden facing the sea at La Londe-les-Maures: one hectare in a listed site, on the other side of the Maures hills; garrigue, cork oaks and olives facing the salt marshes.
Terraced garden above Nice: about 2,000 m² of slope with no lawn, from full sun to a shade jungle, completed in 2025.
Technical notes for the peninsula (articles in French)
Calade or flat stone on the Riviera: two ways to pave a terrace or a path.
Planting on the Riviera: Mediterranean plants in autumn, palms and succulents in other seasons.
Moving large trees: delivering a specimen up a narrow, sloping drive.
Ancient olives at Viveros Valero: trunks chosen in the field before planting.
Piante Faro, at the foot of Etna: palms and subtropical plants as large specimens.
We also work at Cap Ferrat, in Cannes and at Cap d'Antibes, and across the Var (page in French).
An ancient rock. The peninsula belongs to the Maures massif: mica schist and gneiss, far from the limestone of Provence (BRGM geological map). The soil is acid, often thin over rock. This is cork oak, strawberry tree and tree heather country; a palette designed for limestone settles in badly.
Autumn rain, summer salt. The Open-Meteo grid cell for Ramatuelle records about 690 mm of rain a year, 280 of it from September to November and barely 60 from June to August, with close to 4 frost days a year (1991-2020 averages). The cell is centred inland: on the points and facing the sea, winter is milder still. The garden must hold through three dry, windy months, then take autumn storms on a slope.
Fire, slope and shoreline. Géorisques lists forest fire, landslides, coastal and cliff retreat and marine flooding in Ramatuelle and Saint-Tropez. For a house under pines, this decides tree spacing near the façade, the condition of retaining walls and the choice of low-flammability species.
Protected coastal communes. Saint-Tropez, Ramatuelle and Gassin fall under the French Coastal Law (loi Littoral), and parts of the peninsula are also protected as listed sites. Pool, new walls, earthworks: we check these rules and the local plan (PLU) before the sketch, and prepare the landscape part of planning applications with your architect.
What we do on the peninsula. A visit before purchase, to read a plot, its slope, its walls and its trees before you sign. Survey: terraces and pines, soil analysis, condition of structures. Design: hardscape and planting plans, stone walls, frugal irrigation, lighting. Then contractor tendering in the Var and site supervision through to handover, with a few visits in the first seasons to guide your gardeners. The full process is on our Design page; specimen trees and furniture go through our Sourcing office (pages in French).
Autumn rain, summer salt. The Open-Meteo grid cell for Ramatuelle records about 690 mm of rain a year, 280 of it from September to November and barely 60 from June to August, with close to 4 frost days a year (1991-2020 averages). The cell is centred inland: on the points and facing the sea, winter is milder still. The garden must hold through three dry, windy months, then take autumn storms on a slope.
Fire, slope and shoreline. Géorisques lists forest fire, landslides, coastal and cliff retreat and marine flooding in Ramatuelle and Saint-Tropez. For a house under pines, this decides tree spacing near the façade, the condition of retaining walls and the choice of low-flammability species.
Protected coastal communes. Saint-Tropez, Ramatuelle and Gassin fall under the French Coastal Law (loi Littoral), and parts of the peninsula are also protected as listed sites. Pool, new walls, earthworks: we check these rules and the local plan (PLU) before the sketch, and prepare the landscape part of planning applications with your architect.
What we do on the peninsula. A visit before purchase, to read a plot, its slope, its walls and its trees before you sign. Survey: terraces and pines, soil analysis, condition of structures. Design: hardscape and planting plans, stone walls, frugal irrigation, lighting. Then contractor tendering in the Var and site supervision through to handover, with a few visits in the first seasons to guide your gardeners. The full process is on our Design page; specimen trees and furniture go through our Sourcing office (pages in French).
The soils, climate and rules we know
A French state-qualified landscape designer (DPLG), Stanislas Jung designs villa gardens on the Saint-Tropez peninsula with HORUS Paysages: houses set into the hills of Ramatuelle and Gassin, properties looking towards Pampelonne or the gulf, sloping plots held by stone terraces. The studio starts from what makes the place, the view, the pines, the walls, and draws around them.
Here, many owners live elsewhere part of the year: in Paris, London, Geneva or further afield. They expect a garden ready for their arrival, a single contact, and nothing of their house online.
HORUS Paysages in Saint-Tropez, Ramatuelle and Gassin
Frequently asked questions
Do you work in Ramatuelle, Gassin and across the peninsula?
Yes. HORUS Paysages designs gardens in Saint-Tropez, Ramatuelle and Gassin, and in the neighbouring communes of the gulf: La Croix-Valmer, Cogolin, Grimaud. Stanislas Jung comes on site for every survey visit and every key site meeting; contractors are chosen as close to the property as possible.
How do you run the works while we live abroad?
We fix the schedule around your stays and visit the site at regular intervals. After each visit you receive an illustrated report, in French or in English, with only the decisions that are yours. The garden is handed over in your presence or that of your representative.
How do you protect the privacy of our property?
We only deal with the people you name: you, your architect, your estate manager, your caretaker or your family office. No photograph is published without your written consent, and we sign a non-disclosure agreement whenever you wish. A private garden stays private.
Can we keep the pines above the stone terraces?
Yes, and they are often what makes the garden. We survey each pine, have the largest checked for health, then draw terraces and low walls clear of their base, with permeable surfaces. Near the house, we thin them to limit fire risk.
Can you find ancient olives or rare plants for a garden in Saint-Tropez?
Yes. HORUS Paysages selects and tags specimen trees itself at nurseries in Spain and Italy: ancient olives in Elche, palms and subtropical plants in Sicily and near Rome. We check that each plant will take the acid soil and the wind of the peninsula, then organise its transport and planting.
Landscape architect or landscape designer: what is the difference in France?
"Landscape architect" is the usual term in English. In France, the protected title is paysagiste concepteur, reserved since 2016 to graduates recognised by the State, including DPLG landscape designers such as Stanislas Jung, founder of HORUS Paysages.
A property on the peninsula? Let's talk on site.
+33 6 80 22 48 10
Yes. HORUS Paysages designs gardens in Saint-Tropez, Ramatuelle and Gassin, and in the neighbouring communes of the gulf: La Croix-Valmer, Cogolin, Grimaud. Stanislas Jung comes on site for every survey visit and every key site meeting; contractors are chosen as close to the property as possible.
How do you run the works while we live abroad?
We fix the schedule around your stays and visit the site at regular intervals. After each visit you receive an illustrated report, in French or in English, with only the decisions that are yours. The garden is handed over in your presence or that of your representative.
How do you protect the privacy of our property?
We only deal with the people you name: you, your architect, your estate manager, your caretaker or your family office. No photograph is published without your written consent, and we sign a non-disclosure agreement whenever you wish. A private garden stays private.
Can we keep the pines above the stone terraces?
Yes, and they are often what makes the garden. We survey each pine, have the largest checked for health, then draw terraces and low walls clear of their base, with permeable surfaces. Near the house, we thin them to limit fire risk.
Can you find ancient olives or rare plants for a garden in Saint-Tropez?
Yes. HORUS Paysages selects and tags specimen trees itself at nurseries in Spain and Italy: ancient olives in Elche, palms and subtropical plants in Sicily and near Rome. We check that each plant will take the acid soil and the wind of the peninsula, then organise its transport and planting.
Landscape architect or landscape designer: what is the difference in France?
"Landscape architect" is the usual term in English. In France, the protected title is paysagiste concepteur, reserved since 2016 to graduates recognised by the State, including DPLG landscape designers such as Stanislas Jung, founder of HORUS Paysages.
A property on the peninsula? Let's talk on site.
+33 6 80 22 48 10
