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 National Horticultural Society of France 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 unpleasantness 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 in abundance with an audience that’s 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 people can find fruits, vegetables, as well as edible flowers and herbs—to show the people of Montpellier what they can grow if they have a balcony, a patio, 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.“We have nine gardeners, two of whom are dedicated to the greenhouses and one who is in charge of the crops. The team also includes an administrative assistant who handles orders, a taxonomist, and a seed collection manager,” all under the leadership of Thierry Lavabre Bertrand, a professor of medicine and the garden’s director.
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 the Apiscola association, which specializes in bee education. “This allows us to organize 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 just to plant things without ever knowing what will become of them. We create collections with specific thematic and agroecological goals, and we champion the values associated with them by educating the public.”
Jean-François Fauveau also draws this passion for communication and sharing from his previous career as a graphic designer; he moved from the Île-de-France region a little less than ten years ago to transition into landscape design. He now puts that experience to work for the garden by managing social media and handling communications for the annual Primavera event. It’s a unique day when 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, and I coordinate the event. After three consecutive cancellations, I can’t wait to return to this wonderful gathering where plants truly take center stage.” ” This summer, Jean-François Fauveau will also be welcoming 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 at 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, won over 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 perhaps not the most beautiful or original at first glance—nevertheless possesses impressive powers. To begin with, it has medicinal properties, since“ivy is known to relieve bronchial issues and headaches, ”explains the gardener. It also provides a wonderful habitat for biodiversity. ” But the main reason Jean-François Fauveau particularly admires this plant, which dates all the way back to the Cretaceous period, is“its incredible endurance. It’s estimated that it could live up to 4,000 years!”