From May 31 to June 2, 2024, the “Rendez-vous aux jardins” festival returns for its 21^th edition. This year, the captivating theme of “five senses in the garden” promises total immersion in the sensory richness of the gardens. This event takes place not only in France, but also in around twenty other European countries, offering a unique multi-sensory experience to all nature and gardening enthusiasts.

Since 2003, this annual meeting has been a joyful and unifying celebration of our green heritage. Gardens, these spaces where time seems to stand still, offer us an opportunity to rediscover the world through our senses. What could be more soothing than letting yourself be carried away by the song of the birds, smelling the intoxicating scents of the flowers, tasting the ripe fruits, touching the varied textures of the foliage and admiring the shimmering colors of the flowerbeds in full bloom? ?

During the Rendez-vous aux jardins, each visit becomes a sensory adventure. As you walk along the flowery paths, you might smell the smell of damp earth after the rain, listen to the soothing murmur of a waterfall, or even taste freshly picked aromatic herbs. An invitation to awaken all your senses and recharge your batteries away from everyday life.

For this 2024 edition, thousands of parks and gardens will open their doors, many of which will do so on an exceptional basis. From the majesty of the remarkable gardens to the little hidden treasures, each place offers unique activities and discoveries. Here are some essential gardens to visit for an unforgettable sensory experience:

Concert and guided tour at Parc de Bagatelle

Bagatelle Park, located in the heart of the Bois de Boulogne, is one of the four centers of the botanical garden of the City of Paris. Bagatelle Park is a place for walks and relaxation. In addition to the remarkable trees, a rose garden of 10,000 rose bushes from 1,200 different species, and water features, the park regularly hosts exhibitions and events in summer and organizes classical music concerts. For the Rendez-vous aux jardins, the public will be able to take part in guided tours, workshops on roses and attend a concert.

Concert: June 1, 2024 from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Visit to the Rose Garden: June 1, 2024 from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Bagatelle Park
Route de Sèvres in Neuilly, 75016 Paris
June 1, 2024
Price: €2.60

Workshops and Japanese music in the gardens of Maison-Atelier Foujita, in Essonne

Nestled in Essonne, the house-studio of painter Léonard Foujita is surrounded by an enchanting garden. The Japanese maple planted by the artist and the dry river recall Foujita’s Japanese origins. Activities planned include plastic art workshops to explore touch, floral art workshops to awaken the sense of smell, guided tours interpreted in French sign language for a unique visual discovery, as well as a workshop on herbs Japanese aromatics to delight the taste buds. A musical afternoon with a traditional Japanese lute will complete this sensory experience.

Animations
Touch: Plastic art workshops with Valérie Martin
Smell: Floral art workshops with Angeline Boileau
The view: Guided tours in LSF by Laure Jaillet
Taste: Workshop on Japanese aromatic herbs with Anna Shoji
Hearing: Musical afternoon with Sawada Harugin

Foujita House-Atelier
7-9, route de Gif, 91190 Villiers-le-Bâche, Essonne
June 2, 2024
Free and free entry

Explore, Smell and Taste at the Pissarro Museum Park in Val-d’Oise

Located in the park of the Pissarro museum in Pontoise, this garden is specially designed for the blind and visually impaired. Opened in 1995, it invites you to touch, smell and taste aromatic plants, with braille labeling to guide visitors. Activities include self-guided tours to discover wild plants used in cooking, a distribution of original plants and nature stories for children.

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Free visit to discover aromatic plants
Discovery of plants: Distribution of plants by the Green Spaces service
Tales about nature by Laurence Benedetti

Pissarro Museum
Pissarro Museum Park
17 rue du Château, 95300 Pontoise, Val-d'Oise
June 1 ^{and 2, 2024
Free and free entry}

Discover the secrets of trees at the Versailles-Chèvreloup Arboretum - Yvelines

An integral part of the royal estate of Versailles, this 200-hectare arboretum is home to 2,500 species of trees and 8,000 plants in greenhouses. An exhibition on the use of trees in food and an olfactory presentation of the collection of fragrant pelargoniums are planned. Visitors will also be able to take part in a treasure hunt to discover the exhibition with the youngest.

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Trees and food: Exhibition and treasure hunt
A story of perfumes! : Olfactory discovery of the pelargonium collection

Versailles-Chèvreloup Arboretum
30 route de Versailles, 78150 Le Chesnay-Rocquencourt, Yvelines
May 31, 1^st and June 2, 2024
Free and free entry

Stroll through a thousand and one plants in Sonja's gardens - Yvelines

Created by landscaper Sonja Gauron, this private garden transforms old cornfields into a lush space with some 2,000 different plants. Visitors will be able to freely explore the different scenes of the garden, which awaken the senses through the scents of plants, the sounds of water and birds, and the touch of varied foliage.

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Free visit to discover the different scenes of the garden

Sonja Gardens
5 rue de la Martinerie, 78610 Le Perray-en-Yvelines, Yvelines
June 1 ^{and 2, 2024
Price: €5}