Tag archive for: jdp
As we do every year, the Jardin des Plantes team invites you to explore the garden and its hidden treasures through a series of free guided tours open to everyone. Click here for the schedule and details on how to join these tours!
Did you know? The Jardin des Plantes is home to many unique features. Among the most recent is a permaculture vegetable garden. Created two years ago on the initiative of Jean-François “Jeff” Fauveau, a member of our team of botanist-gardeners, this permaculture plot is now the winner of the prestigious national vegetable garden competition, organized by the National Horticultural Society of France ! A source of immense pride for our Faculty and the teams at the Jardin des Plantes. At the awards ceremony held on November 30, we met Jeff, who told us about this project.
A project born out of post-lockdown reflection
It was in 2020 that the idea of creating a permaculture vegetable garden at the Jardin des Plantes first took root in Jeff’s mind. Intrigued by current events at the time, our gardener had noticed that many people were turning to permaculture as a response to political and economic challenges.
Inspired by the Jardin des Plantes’ mission to raise awareness, Jeff hopes that this garden will encourage the people of Montpellier to reconnect with agriculture and take back control of their food. To that end, he has designed his project around plant varieties that are best suited for our balconies, terraces, and gardens in our region’s Mediterranean climate.
A permaculture garden: what’s that all about?
When we ask Jean-François to explain what a permaculture garden is, he responds on two levels:
- The technical aspect: Permaculture draws on practices shared around the world, focusing on understanding soil chemistry to minimize human intervention in the soil and its structure. The goal is to combine specific plant varieties—primarily perennials—to create symbiotic systems, thereby avoiding the use of chemical inputs such as pesticides or fertilizers.
- The values framework: According to Jeff, permaculture is more than just a practice; it is based on a system of values aimed at “protecting the earth and people, and sharing the surplus.”
All in all, a permaculture garden is a garden designed with sustainability in mind, based on careful observation of biological ecosystems. Cultivated with respect for nature, the seasons, and people, it allows plants to be grown without the use of chemicals.
The permaculture garden at the Jardin des Plantes: a place of plant diversity, open to the public
Launched in 2020, the permaculture garden can be found in Plot No. 4 of the School of Systematics at the Jardin des Plantes. Covering an area of nearly 200 m², the garden features over 250 species of plants, all of which are edible. Among the cultivated species, Jeff tries to balance so-called “classic” plants with more “unique” ones. You’ll find tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers, apples, grapes, and corn, as well as Daubenton cabbage, Rocambolle garlic, stevia, peanuts, and bissap. Edible flowers are also on hand to delight the taste buds of even the most discerning gourmets.
This permaculture garden is tended by Jeff, who also works to introduce it to the people of Montpellier through guided tours between March and November. Jeff takes this opportunity to offer advice on permaculture and to share the fruits of his labor by giving visitors some fruits and vegetables to taste when the season allows!
An innovative project, winner of the 2022 National Vegetable Garden Competition
All this variety and these educational initiatives have undoubtedly helped make this project one of the winners of the national vegetable garden contest!
After submitting an entry in June in Category 4, “Educational Garden or Plot,” the teams at the Jardin des Plantes welcomed the competition judges in September for a two-hour visit, during which they asked our gardener a variety of technical questions.
A few weeks later, Jeff was delighted to learn that his garden had been selected as one of the 60 finalists in the competition for the Grand Prize for France’s best educational vegetable garden!
Jean-François and Emmanuel Spicq, head gardener at the Jardin des Plantes, received the award during a ceremony held on November 30, 2022, in Paris. A source of great pride for Jeff:
“This is a wonderful surprise. I’m very happy—this project and this competition allow us to step outside our usual scope. It gives us the opportunity to connect with other national institutions and reach out to the wider world. I look forward to exchanging ideas with the other participants and winners to take this project to new horizons!”
More to come on the Garden's projects
In addition to putting our garden in the spotlight, this contest is indeed an opportunity to build new relationships and partnerships with other gardeners, gardens, and/or institutions and organizations.
“I hope to gain new insights from these discussions that will help me apply permaculture principles to other projects. After the vegetable garden, I’d like to work with fellow gardeners at the Jardin des Plantes to explore the possibility of creating a new permaculture plot focused on drought-tolerant plants!” Jeff tells us enthusiastically.
The plot, which has already been identified, will be located on the Dunal Dellile hill, another section of the School of Systematics. We therefore wish our teams at the Garden the very best of luck with this new project, which may provide an opportunity to enter this competition in a different category!
Practical information:
- Visit the Jardin des Plantes: self-guided tours available year-round
- Guided tour of the Permaculture Garden, led by Jeff Fauveau: May through November (growing season). Book your free tour here.
We would like to inform our visitors that the garden will be closed on the following dates:
- Thursday, June 23: The garden will reopen at 4 p.m.
- Friday, June 24: The garden will close at 3 p.m.
- Friday, July 1: The garden will close at 5 p.m.
Thank you for your understanding, and we wish you a wonderful summer!
Update 9/29/20 – Unfortunately, the UM Thursdays events scheduled for October 6 and 8 have been canceled due to the current health situation. Following their launch at the Arnaud de Villeneuve Campus in January, UM Thursdays are returning at the end of 2020 for a new series of lectures on health. Attend the UM Thursdays sessions at the Faculty of Pharmacy Campus as well as at the Orangerie in the Jardin des Plantes.
A new series of lectures on health
UM Thursdays are back in 2020! Open to the public, these lectures offer an opportunity to learn more about new technologies and teaching methods in health care, as well as to expand your knowledge of medicinal plants and aromatherapy! These are just some of the topics that will be covered throughout the year by faculty members from our university.
Update as of September 29, 2020 – Unfortunately, the UM Thursdays scheduled for October 6 and 8 have been canceled due to the current health situation.
Tuesday, October 6, 2020 – Medicinal Plants
As far back as we can go in history, thanks to ancient manuscripts, the future of humanity seems to have always been closely linked to plants. The reputation of the earliest physicians (beginning with Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine, in 450 B.C.) was most often built on their extensive knowledge of plants and the treatments they derived from them. Logically, then, the plants used to formulate these new remedies (“medicines” = “pharmakon”) were called “medicinal.” But what remains of this historical and ancestral definition? What does it still mean to us today, and what is the significance of “medicinal plants” in 2020?
Thursday, October 8, 2020 – The Use of Aromatic Plants: From Perfume to Medicine
One event, two lectures! Learn more about the Jardin des Plantes, as well as plants and perfumes!
● 3:00 p.m.: The Jardin des Plantes in Montpellier, France’s oldest botanical garden – by Thierry Lavabre-Bertrand
● 4:00 p.m.: The Use of Aromatic Plants: From Perfume to Medicine – by Sylvie Munier
Due to the current health situation, everyone is required to wear a mask.
Rediscover – Thursday, January 16, 2020 – Medical Education: Pathways to Innovation
“There’s no such thing as a ‘first time’ for a healthcare professional.” Even though there’s always a first time, it’s important to prepare future healthcare professionals through scenario-based training—whether for technical procedures, interpersonal skills, interprofessional communication, or preparing for emergency situations where every action must be perfectly coordinated.
Inspired by aerospace standards, healthcare simulation platforms are an essential tool for developing the technical and interpersonal skills of future healthcare professionals, complementing clinical rotations with patients. This first edition of “UM Thursdays” during the Faculty of Medicine’s 800th anniversary celebrations offers an opportunity to explore these remarkable tools by visiting the Arnaud de Villeneuve Health Campus and to gain insight into the challenges of these teaching methods, which remain fully aligned with the Faculty of Medicine’s philosophy of placing the human being at the center of its concerns.
See below for the day’s lecture schedule, starting at 3:00 p.m. in the Rondelet Amphitheater!
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A simulation-based learning platform: just a gimmick? – by Blaise Debien
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Research on Simulation-Based Teaching – by Valérie Courtin
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Situational-based teaching: assessment through the C3 – by Philippe Guilpain
To celebrate European Heritage Days 2019, come (re)discover our Faculty—from its modern building to its historic structure, and don’t miss the Jardin des Plantes! Check out the program of events here:
Saturday, September 21, 2019
Downtown Sites: Historic Building and Botanical Garden
Due to the demonstrations scheduled for downtown on Saturday, the Historic Building and the Botanical Garden will be closed ALL DAY on Saturday.
North Campus: Arnaud de Villeneuve Campus
Address: 641 Avenue du Doyen Gaston Giraud, Parvis Simone Veil, Montpellier
Hours: 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM and 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Places to visit and activities:
- The Rabelais and Rondelet lecture halls, a classroom, the simulation learning center, and the center of excellence for practical training.
- Self-guided tours depart every 10 minutes; meet at the Atrium; groups of 20 people.
- Dr. Christophe Bonnel will present a slideshow on innovative teaching methods near the simulation platform.
- Teaching, administrative, and technical staff will be on hand to assist visitors.
Lectures in the Rabelais and Rondelet Lecture Halls
Rabelais Amphitheater
10:30 a.m. – What Genes Reveal About Our Health: Predictive and Personalized Medicine.
- By Professor Pascal Pujol
11:30 a.m. – The History of Surgery in Montpellier.
- By Professor Michel Chammas, Associate Dean of the Faculty
2:30 p.m. – Doctors in Montpellier and Botany: A Long History
- By Professor Thierry Lavabre-Bertrand, Vice President of the University, Associate Dean of the Faculty, and Director of the Jardin des Plantes
4:30 p.m. – Pioneering Women at the Montpellier School of Medicine.
- By Professor Michel Mondain, Dean of the Montpellier-Nîmes Faculty of Medicine
Rondelet Amphitheater
10:30 a.m. – From Pregnancy to Childbirth: 1850 to the Present Day: Technological Advances.
- By Professor François Bonnel and Audrey Albiges, Midwifery Student
11:30 a.m. – Dermatology in Montpellier since the 19th century
- By Professor Jean Meynadier
2:30 p.m. – Educational materials for learning anatomy and medical techniques.
- By Dr. Christophe Bonnel
Sunday, September 22, 2019
Historic Building
Address: 2 Rue de l’Ecole de Médecine, Montpellier
Hours: 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM and 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Places to visit and activities:
- Anatomy Museum, Anatomy Amphitheater, Council Room, Assembly Hall, University Library (BU), Atger Museum, Tekne Makre Rooms, Courtyard of Honor, Dugès Room.
- Historical University Library of Medicine: Exhibitions of ancient manuscripts in the reading room and in the director’s office. “Books and People” exhibition in the Tekne Makre Rooms.
- Atger Museum: a thousand drawings and some five thousand prints from the French, Italian, and Nordic schools, donated to the Faculty by the Montpellier collector Xavier Atger (1758–1833), an enlightened and passionate art lover.
- DOR Exhibition Hall: Sunday morning: 10:15 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 11:45 a.m. Guided tours; sign up on-site in the Atrium; groups of 18 people; led by the Department of Scientific Culture and Historical Heritage (DCSPH) at the University of Montpellier.
- Dr. Christophe Bonnel will present several slide shows in the Dugès Hall, the Anatomy lecture hall. He will also lead tours of the Anatomy Museum alongside Professor François Bonnel and provide commentary on the museum and the Faculty in the Council Chamber and the Assembly Hall between lectures.
- Live music from 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. featuring the Med’Ley Association, made up of medical students.
- Teaching, administrative, and technical staff will be on hand to assist visitors.
Lectures in the Assembly Hall:
10:30 a.m. –The School of Medicine: Places and People.
- By Professor Olivier Jonquet
11:30 a.m. – The Teaching of Medicine in Montpellier in the Middle Ages.
- By Professor Jean-Pierre Dedet
2:30 p.m. – The history of Delpech’s growth to the present day.
- By Professor Alain Dimeglio
4:30 p.m. – The School of Medicine: Traditions and Costumes.
- By Professor Gérald Chanques
Botanical Garden
Address: Boulevard Henri IV, Montpellier
Hours: 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Places to visit and activities:
- Self-guided tours at the Jardin des Plantes: come discover the flowers and plants of France’s oldest botanical garden!
North Campus: Arnaud de Villeneuve Campus
The North Site will be closed this Sunday.
