Jardin des plantes de Nantes, Botanical garden in city center, Nantes, France.
Jardin des plantes de Nantes is a botanical garden and city park in central Nantes that displays over eleven thousand plant species across more than 17 acres (7 hectares). Waterways run through the grounds between wide lawns, ponds, and paved paths just minutes from Gare de Nantes.
The grounds began in 1687 as an apothecary garden and served as a Royal Garden for exotic plants from 1726. Public access started in 1829 when the city opened the gates and expanded the area.
Plant labels carry both scientific names and local references that help strollers connect with regional botany. Visitors regularly see families picnicking on the lawns while students sit under old trees reading in shaded corners.
The grounds are free to enter and offer wide paths that work well for strollers or wheelchairs. Mornings tend to be quieter while afternoons and weekends see more visitors moving through.
A Magnolia grandiflora planted in 1807 still grows on the grounds and ranks among the oldest living trees of its kind in Europe. The collection also holds six hundred camellia varieties, including several Japanese cultivars from the 19th century.
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