Primavera is making a big comeback at the Jardin des Plantes in Montpellier!

[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 its lectures, booths, and sales of rare plants.  It’s a chance 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 everyone) has attracted an average of 6,000 to 8,000 visitors. Numerous plant sales booths will be present during the event, as well as ten community organization booths, including “Sauvons le jardin de la Reine” (Save the Queen’s Garden), created following a citizen-led initiative, and “MOHICANS,” which offers accessible walks for people with disabilities to explore biodiversity and heritage. This event will also be an opportunity to talk with professionals at nursery stands featuring, among other things: vegetable plants, herbs, medicinal plants, houseplants, succulents…

Primavera Festival Schedule

The day will begin at 11 a.m. in the Orangery of the Jardin des Plantes with a welcome address, 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 in charge of urban nature and biodiversity, and Mr. Bellanger, Deputy Mayor in charge of the downtown district and historical heritage. Then, in the afternoon, a series of lectures will be held in the Flahault Amphitheater at the Institute of Botany, including:

• 2:30 p.m.: “Plant Nomenclature: From Pre-Linnaean Authors to the Shenzhen Code ” by Pierre Coulot, pharmacist and biologist, founder and president of the Botanical Society of Occitanie.
• 3:30 p.m.: “The Mysteries of the Labyrinth ” by Andrée Lafon, a lover of 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 explore the art exhibition “Inspiration Végétale” by Anne Tassin, a ceramic artist.

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

The Jardin des Plantes is the oldest jewel in the Faculty of Medicine’s heritage. The complementary nature of these institutions stems from a shared goal: the pursuit of knowledge, the celebration, and the preservation of life—human life for the Faculty of Medicine, and the plant world for the botanical garden.

In 2022, the Jardin des Plantes in Montpellier was awarded the “Jardin remarquable” designation 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 a grant of 3.4 million euros from the FDJ as part of the heritage initiative led by Stéphane Bern (an initiative to preserve numerous iconic sites in France) to fully restore the Maison de l’Intendance.