Lifestyle


Orchid exhibition in Paris: an opportunity to revisit the botanical gardens of Paris

6 years ago - Julie D.

Who said Paris was gray? The big city conceals some well-hidden secrets where one can go green and walk along impressive flowerbeds. Given the occasion of the exhibition Orchids Paris, from 23 to 25 March 2018, one can take opportunity to take a short tour of the botanical gardens of the capital.

The parade of the elegant: Orchids Paris 2018

From March 23rd to 25th, an impressive exhibition of orchids will be held in Paris, at the Porte de la Villette, where this bewitching and graceful flower will be featured. The exhibition will bring together orchid producers from around the world, as well as orchid-like institutions and associations such as the Writhlington School Foundation, Greenhouses of the Senate - Jardin du Luxembourg, the Eric Young Foundation and more. You can buy rare botanical species and the latest hybrid orchid creations.

For the most assiduous, a high-level congress will disseminate the latest scientific results; some conferences will be more accessible to amateurs. During the three days of the exhibition, the National Horticultural Society of France will offer workshops to make bouquets. Also find workshops for the public, to take care of your orchids and cultivate them better, workshops for children and a photo contest.

Orchids 2018 exhibition - Hall A of the Paris Event Center, 20 Avenue de la Porte de la Villette, Paris 19 - metro 7 or tram 3B Porte de la Villette - entry 12 €, free for children under 12 years old.

Orchids and Botanical gardens

Roses; dahlias, iris’: the seasons of the botanical gardens in Paris

On this occasion, why not discover, or rediscover, the botanical gardens of Paris? Parisians have at their disposal the four sites of the Botanical Garden of Paris itself, but also the unmissable Jardin des Plantes, and the discreet botanical garden of the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University Paris 5 - René Descartes. Each of these gardens has its own history and atmosphere, but they are all unexpected havens of peace in the megalopolis.

Le Parc Floral de Vincennes

The Parc Floral de Vincennes, accessible from the esplanade of the Château de Vincennes, is immense; it is the ideal setting for long walks to discover peonies (flowering in April and May), irises (May and June), geraniums (May to September) and dahlias (August to October). Find the agenda of flowering here.

The Floral Park also hosts many cultural events, such as the International Dahlia Competitions every year at the end of September, but also festivals and concerts with no immediate relationship with flowers, except beauty! The Parc Floral is thus the theater of the Paris Jazz Festival in June and July, and of Classique au Vert, the weekends of August and September.

Summer is of course the season, where it is good to wander in the flowery paths. But even if your favorite flower has not yet reached the tip of its nose, the Floral Park promises other attractions, such as the sculpture garden where you can enjoy the outdoors of Tinguely, Giacometti or Calder. The "rosalies" (quadricycles), ping-pong or treasure hunt will keep the children occupied.

Parc Floral de Vincennes - Route de la Pyramide, Paris 12 - metro 1 Château de Vincennes - open daily from 9.30am, until 8pm in summer (April to September), until 6.30pm in October and March, and until 17h in winter.

The entry of the park is :2,50 € from May 1 to October 31, 2017. Reduced price (€ 1.50) for young people from 7 to 26 years, free for children under 7 years. Free admission on concert nights upon presentation of a ticket or countermark.

Garden of Green Houses in Auteuil

Jardin des Serres d'Auteuil

On the other side of the city is the Jardin des Serres d'Auteuil and its admirable tropical greenhouses. It is originally a decorated garden, with some greenhouses and flower beds, sponsored by Louis XV. It attained its real growth at the end of the 19th century, when the city of Paris seeks to create a horticultural production site. The architect Formigé then renovated the garden of Auteuil and used Rodin's studio to decorate the retaining wall of the terraces of masks, grotesque faces and grimacing masks. The Jardin des Serres d'Auteuil houses, in fact, several gardens: French, Japanese, Mediterranean and contemporary. In the greenhouses, discover cacti, palm trees and tropical plants according to a very educational and well explained course.

Garden of Serres d'Auteuil - 1 Place of the Porte d'Auteuil / 1 Avenue Gordon Bennett, Paris 16 - metro 10 Porte d'Auteuil - free admission.

Parc de Bagatelle

Located in the 16th arrondissement near Neuilly, Bagatelle Park is the ultimate in sophistication. There is the famous Roseraie de Bagatelle, as well as the garden of the water lilies, and an orangery. Here and there, the peacocks roam quietly, between caves, waterfalls and stone bridge of this landscape skillfully staged. The highlight of the season is the Weekend of the Rose, beginning in June, and its International Competition of New Roses. Next to the rose garden is the beautiful Iris garden, inspired by Hispano-Moorish architecture.

The history of the Bagatelle Park is romantic at will: the park itself and the "madness" (pleasure residence) of the Château de Bagatelle are the result of an impossible bet between Marie-Antoinette and her brother-in-law, the Count of Artois. In 1777, Marie-Antoinette challenged the count to complete this crazy project in less than 100 days. Bet taken with panache: at the price of a superhuman effort, the park and the castle were ready in 64 days...

Like the Parc Floral de Vincennes, it regularly hosts concerts and music festivals, such as the Musicales de Bagatelle (end of June), the Chopin Festival (in June-July) and Solistes de Bagatelle (at the orangery, on weekends). end of September).

Bagatelle Park - Route de Sèvres to Neuilly, Paris 16 - metro 1 Porte Maillot, RER C Neuilly-Porte Maillot - open every day from 9.30am to 8pm from April to September, until 6.30pm in March, and 5pm from October to February - free admission except during events, admission 6 €

Rose Gardens in Bagatelle Park

The inescapable: the Jardin des Plantes

We no longer present the Augustus Jardin des Plantes. It is the dean of the Paris Botanical Gardens, because the apothecary Nicolas Houël was already giving herbalist classes at this site in the 16th century. In the 18th century, the famous naturalist Buffon made it one of the most important centers of scientific research in Europe. Part of the National Museum of Natural History, the Jardin des Plantes remains faithful to its scientific vocation.

It includes several gardens (twelve in total): large greenhouses, again open to the public since 2010, alpine garden, garden of irises and perennials, garden of peonies, garden of roses and rocks, vegetable garden, ecological garden and the school of botany. And it houses no less than 15,000 different plants...

Jardin des Plantes - subway 5 Gare d'Austerlitz, 7 Censier Daubenton, 10 Jussieu or Gare d'Austerlitz, RER C Paris-Austerlitz - open daily from sunrise to sunset (see specific times on the Facebook page) - entrance free, except the Botanical Gallery, 7 €.

Thought in Paris

The Botanical Garden of the University of Pharmacy – University Paris 5

Few people know about it. It hides in a discreet corner of the 6th district, close to the Luxembourg Gardens. All you need to do is enter the Faculty of Pharmacy, avenue de l'Observatoire, and go straight to find yourself in this garden dedicated to medicinal plants, but not only. The collections of this botanical garden are of course geared towards scientific and medical research, and also allow pharmacy students to familiarize themselves with some common poisonous plants, in order to sensitize their future customers. The magnificent greenhouses, some of which are inherited from Gustave Eiffel, can only be visited during guided tours on Thursdays from 2pm to 4pm.

Botanical Garden of the Faculty of Pharmacy - University Paris 5 - René Descartes - 4, avenue de l'Observatoire, Paris 6 - RER B Port-Royal or Luxembourg, metro 4 Vavin, metro 12 Notre-Dame des Champs - open at the same times of the Faculty of Pharmacy - guided tours on Thursday from 14h to 16h.