Rouages: “Helping the public better understand the issues surrounding our plants”
For the past six years, Jean-François Fauveau has been a gardener and botanist at the Jardin des Plantes in Montpellier. Between permaculture, monitoring large trees, beehives, and public outreach, he tells us about his work in the video series “ Rouages ” produced by the University of Montpellier.
On November 30, Jean-François Favier was honored by the French National Horticultural Society with the Grand Prize in the “educational gardens and plots” category of the national vegetable garden competition.
Did you know that Daubenton cabbage is a perennial vegetable that lets you enjoy its leaves all year round? That fennel perfectly balances out the slight bitterness of Jerusalem artichokes, that burdock protects your tomatoes from late blight, or that marigolds attract ladybugs, which are voracious aphid eaters? These are just a few of the tips that Jean-François Fauveau, a botanist and gardener at the Jardin des Plantes, shares freely with an audience increasingly open to the joys of gardening.
"It was after the first lockdown that the idea arose to create a new permaculture edible garden— 'a place where you can find fruits, vegetables, as well as edible flowers and herbs, to show people in Montpellier what they can grow if they have a balcony, a terrace, a garden, or several hectares of land,'"he explains.
In the shade of the almond tree
Located in the northern part of the garden, upstream from the Orangery, this extraordinary garden offers a feast for the eyes: an Isabelle grapevine—"an heirloom variety once banned on the pretext that it drove people mad, yet it is, in fact, resistant to all diseases"—artichokes and Provençal apples, onions, radishes, raw-edible quinces, tomatoes, and Swiss chard as tall as shrubs… All in the shade of a magnificent almond tree.
When he’s not in the vegetable garden, Jean-François is busy in the paths of this 4-hectare garden: tending to the large trees, maintaining the plant collections, and ensuring the paths are safe to provide the best possible visitor experience.“There are nine of us gardeners, including two who work in the greenhouses and one who oversees the crops. The team also includes a secretary in charge of orders, a taxonomist, and a seed collection manager,” all under the leadership of Thierry Lavabre Bertrand, a professor of medicine and director ofthegarden.
Four beehives
For just over a year now, Jean-François Fauveau’s schedule has become even busier with the installation of four beehives in the garden by Apiscola, an organization specializing in bee education. “This allows us to host educational activities to help the public better understand the issues surrounding our plants, food, and bees in an urban context.”It’s a connection with the public that is particularly appreciated by someone who began his career as a landscape gardener working on roundabouts or near highways. “When you work at the Jardin des Plantes, you don’t come in the morning to plant things without ever knowing what will become of them. We create collections with specific thematic and agroecological goals, and we champion those values by educating the public.”
Jean-François Fauveau also draws this passion for communication and sharing from his former career as a graphic designer; he moved here from the Paris region just under ten years ago to transition into landscape design. He now puts that experience to good use for the garden by managing social media and handling communications for the annual Primavera event. A unique day where nursery owners, researchers, gardeners, artists, and of course the public celebrate the arrival of spring in the garden’s exceptional setting. “I design the posters and flyers, I coordinate the day, and after three consecutive cancellations, I can’t wait to reconnect with this wonderful event where plants truly take center stage.” ” This summer, Jean-François Fauveau will also welcome the public for tours of the “Permaculture Edible Garden” on Fridays, July 1, 8, 22, and 29, and August 5, 12, and 19 at 10:30 a.m.
Grand Prize in the National Vegetable Garden Contest
It’s a bit like Russian nesting dolls: an extraordinary garden within an extraordinary garden. Jean-François Fauveau, a gardener and botanist at the Jardin des Plantes, is one of the eight winners of the national vegetable garden competition. His 450-square-meter educational vegetable garden, located in plot No. 4 of the Candolle School of Systematics, impressed the jury of the National Horticultural Society of France, which awarded him the Grand Prize in Category 4, “Educational Gardens or Plots.” To mark this recognition, he was presented with a certificate on Wednesday, November 30, 2022, during a ceremony held in Paris.
What is Jean-François Fauveau's favorite plant?
Ivy, also known as Hedera helix, is a plant that, while not the most beautiful or unique at first glance, nevertheless possesses impressive powers. To begin with, it has medicinal properties, since“ivy is known to relieve bronchial congestion and headaches, ”explains the gardener. It also provides a wonderful habitat for biodiversity. ” But if Jean-François Fauveau particularly admires this plant, which dates all the way back to the Cretaceous period, it is for“its incredible endurance. It is estimated that it could live up to 4,000 years!”