“Let’s meet in the garden”… of 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,” an event organized 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, centered on the theme “ Stone Gardens, Garden Stones.” For this event, numerous professionals—including gardeners, property owners, landscape architects, botanists, and guides—will be on hand for three days to share their passion for gardens and their expertise with visitors, particularly through guided tours throughout the day.

Beyond its cultural and festive aspects, this event serves as an opportunity to highlight the initiatives undertaken by the Ministry of Culture, garden owners, and local governments to promote the study, conservation, restoration, maintenance, and appreciation of gardens, as well as the transmission of knowledge and expertise. 

Three brand-new days as part of the “Garden Gatherings” series

(free and no registration required):

Friday, June 6:

• 1:30 p.m.: Plants and Stones: An Unusual Coexistence Between the Plant and Mineral Worlds
• 1:45 p.m.: The garden's collections
• 2:00 p.m.: The garden water wheels
• 3:00 p.m.: In a dry, rocky landscape, discover how Mediterranean plants have adapted
• 4:00 p.m.: General tour of the garden

Saturday, June 7:

• 2:00 p.m.: The busts of the Systematic School
• 3:00 p.m.: Discovering Bees
• 4:00 p.m.: General tour of the garden

Sunday, June 8:

• 2:00 p.m.: Plants and Stones: An Unusual Coexistence Between the Plant and Mineral Worlds
• 3:00 p.m.: In a dry, rocky landscape, discover how Mediterranean plants have adapted
• 4:00 p.m.: Edible garden: watering and dry soil

The Montpellier Botanical Garden

Founded in 1593 at the request of King Henry IV by the 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 landmarks and attracts visitors from around the world. People come here to stroll in the shade of the bamboo grove or along the shaded paths of the English garden, to admire the Martins Greenhouse and its “succulent” plants, or to daydream by the lotus pond in the footsteps of André Gide or Paul Valéry… It established itself from the outset as an exceptional center 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 Montpellier Botanical Garden preserves trees that are several centuries old and numerous rare species. Expanded 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 affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Montpellier.

In 2022, the Montpellier Botanical Garden 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. In 2023, it also received a grant of 3.4 million euros from the FDJ to fully restore the steward’s house as part of the heritage initiative led by Stéphane Bern.