Gardens in the Loire Valley: highlights of the 'back-to-school' period

Check out the entire programme at www.jardins-valdeloire.com  

Fêtes de légumes

On 9 September, Brain-sur-l’Authion (Loire-Authion) is organising a "Green Thumb" events day focusing on the guest of honour: the vegetable. The day includes a temporary garden, a conference, workshops, a narrated show for children and a film.
The Festival de la Tomate is back on 9 and 10 September at Château de La Bourdaisière (Montlouis-sur-Loire): activities and tasting sessions around the tomato, which the château has a conservatory kitchen garden for. 

European Heritage Days (EHD)

On 16 and 17 September, special programmes are on offer at a whole host of partner sites: A stroll through the gardens at La Possonnière , Château de l'Islette , Château de Villandry , Château du Lude , Domaine de Poulaines , Château Royal d’Amboise , Château Colbert , Arboretum des Grandes Bruyères , etc. 

Check out the entire EHD programme at: https://journeesdupatrimoine.culturecommunication.gouv.fr/  

The La Piverdière lookout will be unveiled in Bouchemaine, offering a unique panoramic view. The viewpoints awaiting you bring together plants in nature, cultivated plants, Basses Vallées Angevines (Angers floodplains), town, horticulture, viticulture, history, the Maine, the Loire, and more besides... A website where you can take a virtual tour will also be launched to mark the occasion: "La Piverdière à 360°" .  

Discover nature to the south of Tours

On 23 and 24 September, the city of Tours is offering a  nature weekend : 

• Open days at the Centre de Production Horticole in the Bois des Hâtes forest
• Outings to discover the forest park in Larçay-les Hâtes
• Guided tours of the landscaped cemetery in Tours Sud.
• Carriage rides in the forest

Exhibitions

Until 29 October, the Orangerie at the Tours botanical gardens is hosting an exhibition on André Leroy (1801-1875): a source of French pride in the horticultural and landscape renewal of the 19th century . 

This exhibition traces the career of André Leroy, a famous 19th-century nursery gardener from Angers who was also a master garden designer and renowned botanist. The exhibition is based in particular on photographs and plans of gardens designed by André Leroy in the Loire Valley.
From 17 September until 20 October 2017, the Pays d’Art et d’Histoire de la Vallée du Loir (Loir Valley Region of Art and History) is presenting the adventures of Pierre Belon, a naturalist of the Renaissance at the Bibliothèque du Prytanée National Militaire in La Flèche. 16th-century editions of Pierre Belon's work are on display: in addition to their scientific interest, these works include magnificent engraved plates depicting the plants and animals encountered by the naturalist in the course of his many journeys. 

Check out the entire programme at www.jardins-valdeloire.com