Primavera is making a big comeback at Montpellier's Jardin des Plantes!

[Press release] - Published on March 14, 2023 in Press Room

On Sunday, March 19, 2023, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., the Jardin des Plantes at the University of Montpellier will host the^18th edition of "Primavera." After a three-year hiatus, Montpellier's plant and spring festival returns with conferences, stands, and sales of rare plants.  It's an opportunity to stroll and learn in an exceptional setting: France's oldest botanical garden.

An annual event for botany enthusiasts

Since 2004, the annual Primavera event (open to all) has attracted an average of between 6,000 and 8,000 visitors. Numerous plant sales stands will be present during the day, as well as ten association stands, including "Sauvons le jardin de la Reine" (Save the Queen's Garden), created following a citizen mobilization, and "MOHICANS," which offers walks accessible to people with disabilities to discover biodiversity and heritage. This event will also be an opportunity to talk to professionals at nursery stands presenting, among other things, vegetable, aromatic, medicinal, indoor, and succulent plants.

Primavera Festival Day Program

The day will begin at 11 a.m. in the Orangery of the Jardin des Plantes with a welcome speech in the presence of Prof. Laffont, Dean of the Montpellier-Nîmes Faculty of Medicine, Prof. Lavabre-Bertrand, Vice-President of the University of Montpellier, Delegate for Historical Heritage and Director of the Jardin des Plantes in Montpellier, Mr. Jouault, Deputy Mayor, delegate for nature in the city and biodiversity, and Mr. Belllanger, Deputy Mayor, delegate for the central district and historical heritage. Then, in the afternoon, a series of conferences will be held in the Flahault amphitheater of the Institute of Botany, including:

• 2:30 p.m.: " Plant nomenclature: from pre-Linnaean authors to the Shenzhen Code " by Pierre Coulot, pharmacist, biologist, founder, and president of the Botanical Society of Occitania.
• 3:30 p.m.: " The Mysteries of the Labyrinth " by Andrée Lafon, who is passionate about literature, theater, and psychoanalysis.
• 4:30 p.m.: " The restoration project for Pierre Richer de Belleval's Intendance and its maze " by Professor Thierry Lavabre-Bertrand, Director of the Jardin des Plantes.

Throughout the day, visitors will also be able to view the art exhibition "Inspiration Végétale" (Plant Inspiration) by ceramic artist Anne Tassin.

A few words about the University of Montpellier's Botanical Garden

The Jardin des Plantes is the oldest jewel in the crown of the Faculty of Medicine's heritage. These institutions complement each other thanks to their shared goal: to understand, celebrate, and preserve life—human life for the Faculty of Medicine, and plant life for the botanical garden.

In 2022, Montpellier's Jardin des Plantes was awarded the "Jardin remarquable" label by the Ministry of Culture, which recognizes gardens and parks, whether public or private, that are of cultural, aesthetic, historical, or botanical interest. Last year, it also received €3.4 million in funding from the FDJ during Stéphane Bern's heritage mission (an initiative to preserve many iconic sites in France) to completely restore the Intendance house.