“Rendezvous in the garden”… with plants from the University of Montpellier!

[Press release] - Published on May 14, 2025 in Press Room

For the^22nd national and international edition of "Rendez-vous au Jardin" (Garden Gatherings) initiated by the Ministry of Culture, the University of Montpellier's botanical garden has been selected to host three special days on June 6, 7, and 8 on the theme of " Stone Gardens, Garden Stones." On this occasion, many professionals—gardeners, owners, landscapers, botanists, guides, and others—will be on hand for three days to share their passion for gardens and their expertise with visitors, notably through tours throughout the day.

Beyond its cultural and festive dimension, this event is an opportunity to highlight the actions implemented by the Ministry of Culture, garden owners, and local authorities to promote knowledge, conservation, restoration, maintenance, and enhancement of gardens, as well as the transmission of knowledge and expertise. 

Three unique days as part of the "garden gatherings"

(free and without registration):

Friday, June 6:

• 1:30 p.m.: Plants and stones: an unusual coexistence between the plant world and the mineral world
• 1:45 p.m.: the garden collections
• 2 p.m.: the waterwheels in the garden
• 3 p.m.: in a dry, mineral world, discovering how Mediterranean plants have adapted
• 4:00 p.m.: general tour of the garden

Saturday, June 7:

• 2 p.m.: busts from the systematic school
• 3 p.m.: Discovering bees
• 4:00 p.m.: general tour of the garden

Sunday, June 8:

• 2 p.m.: Plants and stones: an unusual coexistence between the plant world and the mineral world
• 3 p.m.: in a dry, mineral world, discovering how Mediterranean plants have adapted
• 4 p.m.: edible garden: watering and dry soil

The Montpellier Botanical Garden

Founded in 1593 at the request of King Henry IV by physician and botanist Pierre Richer de Belleval to collect medicinal plants and train medical students, the Jardin des Plantes is now one of Montpellier's most iconic sites, attracting visitors from all over the world. Visitors come to stroll in the shade of the bamboo grove or along the shady paths of the English garden, admire the Martins greenhouse and its "succulent" plants, or dream by the lotus pond in the footsteps of André Gide or Paul Valéry... It immediately established itself as an exceptional place for education and research. Remarkable figures such as Pierre Magnol and Augustin-Pyramus de Candolle made major conceptual advances in the field of botany there. In addition to the plant collections, both outdoors and under glass, there is a collection of statues dedicated to Montpellier's naturalists. The Jardin des Plantes de Montpellier is home to trees that are several hundred years old and a number of rare species. Enlarged in 1810 and 1860, it covers nearly 5 hectares in the heart of Montpellier. Listed as a historic site (since 1982) and protected as a historic monument (since 1992), France's oldest official botanical garden is attached to the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Montpellier.

In 2022, Montpellier's botanical garden 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. In 2023, it also received €3.4 million in funding from the FDJ to completely restore the steward's house as part of Stéphane Bern's heritage project.