Rouages: “Helping the public better understand the issues surrounding our plants”
For the past six years, Jean-François Fauveau has been a gardener-botanist at the Jardin des Plantes in Montpellier. Between permaculture, monitoring large trees, beehives, and communication, he tells us about his job 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, receiving 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 you can enjoy all year round? That fennel perfectly balances the slight unpleasantness of Jerusalem artichokes, that burdock protects your tomatoes from mildew, and that marigolds attract ladybugs, which are big consumers of aphids? These are just a few of the tips that Jean-François Fauveau, botanist and gardener at the Jardin des Plantes, shares with an audience that is 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 fruit, vegetables, but also edible flowers and aromatic plants to show people in Montpellier what they can grow if they have a balcony, a terrace, a garden, or several acres 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 old variety once banned on the pretext that it drove people mad, but which is in fact resistant to all diseases"), artichokes and apples from Provence, onions, radishes, raw edible quinces, tomatoes, Swiss chard as big as shrubs... All in the shade of a magnificent almond tree.
When he is not in the vegetable garden, Jean-François is busy in the paths of this 4-hectare garden: monitoring the large trees, maintaining the plant collections, and securing the paths to ensure the best possible welcome for the public. "There are nine of us gardeners, two of whom are dedicated to the greenhouses and one who is responsible for 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, 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 association specializing in bee education. "This allows us to organize activities to help the public better understand the issues surrounding our plants, food, and bees in an urban context." This connection with the public is particularly appreciated by someone who began his career as a landscape gardener working on roundabouts and near highways. "When you work at the Jardin des Plantes, you don't come in the morning to plant things without knowing what will become of them. We plant collections that have a thematic, agroecological purpose, and we defend the values that go with them by educating the public. "
Jean-François Fauveau's taste for communication and sharing knowledge stems from his former life as a graphic designer. He moved from the Paris region just under ten years ago to retrain as a landscape gardener. He now puts this experience to good use in the garden by feeding social media and handling communications for the annual Primavera event. This is a unique day when nursery growers, researchers, gardeners, artists, and of course the public celebrate the arrival of spring in the exceptional setting of the garden. "I design the posters and flyers, I coordinate the day, and after three consecutive cancellations, I can't wait to get back to this wonderful event where plants really 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 Kitchen Garden Competition
It's a bit like Russian dolls: an extraordinary garden within an extraordinary garden. Jean-François Fauveau, gardener-botanist at the Jardin des Plantes, is one of eight winners of the national vegetable garden competition. His 450m² educational vegetable garden, located in square no. 4 of Candolle's school of systematics, won over the jury of the French National Horticultural Society, which awarded him the Grand Prize in category 4, "educational gardens or plots." To symbolize this recognition, he was presented with a diploma on Wednesday, November 30, 2022, during a ceremony held in Paris.
Jean-François Fauveau's favorite plant?
Ivy, also known as Hedera helix, is a plant that, while not the most beautiful or original at first glance, nevertheless has impressive powers. Medicinal powers, for starters, since "ivy is known to relieve bronchial and headache symptoms, "explains the gardener. It also provides a wonderful shelter for biodiversity. " But Jean-François Fauveau particularly admires this plant, which dates back to the Cretaceous period, for"its incredible endurance. It is estimated that it could live for up to 4,000 years!"