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 garden has five entrances: the main Porte des Camélias on Place Charles-Le Roux to the south, the Porte des Cerfs to the southwest, an honour gate on Rue Stanislas-Baudry to the northwest, a gate on Rue Gambetta to the north, and one on Rue Frédéric-Cailliaud to the southeast. Entry to the grounds is free, but the greenhouses charge a fee.
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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