Artistic Landscape Design Project | American Peace Garden

The American Peace Garden, designed by Simonson Landscape, is an artistic landscape project that reimagines a historic World War I site in the Champagne region of France. Through sculptural landforms, ecological planting, and symbolic composition, the project transforms a place of memory into a living landscape of peace and renewal.

A Monumental Landscape of Memory and Renewal

Once a site of confrontation and destruction, the Navarin Farm monument-ossuary in the Champagne region of France (51) has been transformed into a place of reflection, remembrance, and peace.

Created in collaboration with the Art & Jardins – Hauts-de-France Association, the American Peace Garden forms part of the Gardens of Peace network, weaving together the shared history of France and the United States. It stands as a living testimony to values of tolerance, freedom, and mutual aid.

Artistic Inspiration for a Peaceful Landscape

The Land of Promise garden draws its form from the scars left by war, reinterpreting trenches and embankments as sculptural gestures within the land. These earth forms and stone slabs create both division and connection, offering visitors an immersive space for contemplation and renewal.

Seating integrated into the slopes allows visitors to pause and look outward. Where soldiers once faced trenches as horizons, the garden opens new perspectives — a symbol of reconciliation and hope.

Nature and Harmony through Artistic Design

Each slope of the American Peace Garden reveals its own identity, with distinct plant communities evolving over time. Species from both Europe and the United States coexist in a creative ecological blend that expresses harmony between cultures and resilience through nature.

All plantings were carefully chosen for their drought tolerance and ability to thrive in challenging soils, forming a sustainable and low-maintenance landscape that echoes the region’s natural palette.

A Creative Approach to Landscape Architecture

Every element — from the sculptural topography to the delicate balance of plant textures — was conceived as part of a process-driven, artistic design. The garden embodies time, growth, and exchange between species, cultures, and histories.

It demonstrates how landscape architecture can act as a medium for storytelling and healing, transforming a place of memory into a living expression of peace.

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The transformation of sites into Gardens of Peace has been featured in the media, including a France Culture program exploring the role of gardens in promoting peace.

Interested in creating your own landscape of meaning? Whether your inspiration comes from art, history, or nature, Simonson Landscape designs artistic and sustainable gardens that reflect a sense of place and emotion.