• IN THE GARDEN •
• IN THE GREENHOUSE •
Life, with the garden
Location: Paris, France • • • Visit: September 2017
Jardin des plantes de Paris was established in 1635, in France only surpassed in age by the botanic garden in Montpellier (which is a lovely garden, by the way). It also figures in the beautiful but sad novel “All the light we cannot see” by Anthony Doerr. Sure, in the book it is mainly the natural history museum that is described in such a colorful, romantic fashion – but the adjoining botanic garden also gets sprinkles of attention. And it is the main botanic garden in the capital of France. Needless to say, my expectations were high.
What I found was open spaces with intensely blossoming flowerbeds, a pretty greenhouse and not many systematic displays of botany and ecology. The greenhouses were rather small, with the first one containing an impressive jungle – but otherwise, not very systematic. In that sense, more pretty to look at than useful for learning names and expanding horizons.
So yes, it is beautiful, and meticulously cared for, but it is not a lush oasis in the middle of the city full of opportunities for environmental education, like the gardens in Montpellier or Glasgow. I prefer the gardens with hidden spaces to disappear in.
Katja Malmborg 