A parterre is a formal garden constructed on a level surface, consisting of planting beds arranged to form a pleasing, usually symmetrical pattern, with gravel paths laid between. The beds are edged in stone or tightly clipped hedging and need not contain any flowers. French parterres originated in 15th-century gardens of the French Renaissance, such as the Chateau of Versailles, and were elaborated out of 16th-century Baroque garden à la française knot gardens, and reached a climax at Versailles and its many European imitators, such as Kensington Palace in London.