Cultivate

28 april 2022

Gardens open

Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and public holidays: 11 am to 6 pm.
Tea room: 11 am to 6 pm.

See all opening times

May 2022

Iris month

Domaine de Poulaines is taking part in the Centre-Val de Loire’s Iris trail, “la Route des Iris”.

Visit website

7 and 8 may 2022

Neurodon

We will donate €2 to Neurodon for each adult ticket sold.
Picnic with locally produced food and drinks on both days (price and advance bookings via our website).

Neuroscience research shows that our living environment has a big impact on our brain health. Nature has a positive effect on the proper functioning of the brain from an early age. Researchers have found that people who spent their childhood in an environment surrounded by nature have less risk of developing a mental illness during their teenage or adult years. Furthermore, studies by British scientists revealed that adults who garden for 30 minutes per week boost their sense of well-being. Several biological mechanisms are involved in nature’s impact on the brain, the main one being stress management. Several studies also show that spending time in gardens can balance our circadian rhythms. Gardens are said to have a positive effect on stress, sleep, appetite and mental well-being. Since “Jardins Ouverts” started in 2003, 295,000 visitors have helped Fédération pour la Recherche sur le Cerveau (FRC) raise €586,000 (including 2021). This amount has funded several research projects on the brain.

12 and 15 may 2022

First World Topiary Days

• Included in the admission price
• Non-stop entertainment from 2 pm to 5 pm
• Question and answer time with the estate owner

12 and 13 may

In this informative session, our gardeners will reveal how they prune our boxwoods, yews, hornbeams and bamboo. They will also explain the Niwaki pruning technique used by Christian Coureau on the hundred-year-old boxwoods, which was passed on to Joseph Grimaldi, another of Eric Borja’s apprentices.

14 may

Learn about pruning our emblematic double row of apple trees and summer pruning the espaliers along the waterway with Cédric Larraud, expert fruit tree pruner at Berry’s Pomology Society.

Berry’s Pomology Society was founded in 1984 to safeguard and promote special fruit tree varieties. It has between 700 and 800 members each year, who work to safeguard fruit tree heritage.

4 and 5 june 2022

19^th edition of Rendez-vous in the Gardens: “gardens and climate change”

• Reduced admission: €8
• Under 12s: free
• Picnic with locally produced food and drinks on both days (prices and advance bookings via the website)
• Question and answer time with the estate owner

Découvrez nos jardins coté coulisse !
Come and chat with our gardeners who will reveal how they look after the Domaine de Poulaines gardens.

8 june to 7 november 2022

Sculpture exhibition in the gardens by Olivier Giroud

• Included in the admission price

Download the brochure to find out more

July-August

New opening hours

• Open every day from 11 am to 7 pm
• Tea room: 11 am to 7 pm

July 2022

PLUME.S: An exhibition to discover 12 bird species from France’s parks and gardens

This exhibition is touring the Centre-Val de Loire gardens

• Included in the admission price

Discovering, promoting and preserving nature has become incredibly important given the dangers that pose a threat to nature, causing ecosystems and living species to disappear. But how can we raise awareness of the cause of biodiversity loss?

The exhibition PLUME.S, based on the book of the same name, brings art and birds together, calling for contemplation, mindfulness, curiosity and reflection.
The exhibition is organised in partnership with the Centre-Val de Loire Parks and Gardens Association (APJRC), which aims to protect and preserve the historic, cultural, botanical and landscape heritage.

Sunday 3 july 2022

Meet and greet Olivier Lasbley, wildlife photographer and author

• Included in the admission price
• Book signing and presentation: Plume.s des parcs et jardins de France

A new way of discovering birds – through the “beauty of things”, emotion and creating art. This meet and greet will be the perfect opportunity to discuss the nexus between art and the biodiversity.

5 september – 18 september 2022

New opening hours

• Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday 11 am to 6 pm
• Tea room: 11 am to 6 pm

17 and 18 september 2022

European Heritage Days

• Reduced admission: €8
• Under 18s: Free admission
• Sunday at 3 pm: guided tour of the garden by the estate owner

18 september 2022

Garden closed

22 october to 6 november 2022

Toussaint half-term holidays

• Garden open
• Adults: €8
• Under 6s: Free
• 6–12 years: €4
• 12–18 years: €7
• Every day from 11 am to 5 pm
• Tea room: 11 am to 5 pm

Saturday 22 october 2022

4^th edition of Nuit des Châteaux

• 5 pm: walking tour “The legend of the trees and the forest” (in French)
• The gardens will be lit up when night falls

Performance by Corinne Duchenne

Since the beginning of time, the forest has attracted humans, protecting and feeding us. The forest is a refuge. It can also be frightening. Everything is different, elusive… Anything is possible. This performance will teach you about centuries-old trees and their wisdom, the secret, mysterious forest and the extraordinary characters that haunt it. Corinne Duchenne will tell you why the trees have leaves and how some can treat humans. Along the way, you’ll discover Bonne Dame who protects children in the forest, Truie Blanche, a sow who creeps close to her oak tree awaiting those who are searching, the Wolf Leader who sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for being able to understand trees and to be loved by wildlife, La Malnoue, an underground river with black water that feeds Sologne’s tree roots, the ancient Saint Étienne oak, which was struck by lightning and made into barrels so its spirit would live on. Not to mention all the magical characters who haunt the trees, the dryads of the oaks, the hamadryads of the chestnut trees, the nymphs of the hawthorns and broom trees. Corinne Duchenne is an excellent storyteller and guide. Born in Sologne, Berry, she spent her childhood running through the forest and being lulled by the sound of the wind blowing through the tall trees. This is what enriches her storytelling. She has an uncommon way with words. She is aware that she is a fragile link between the past and the future.

Dramatised walking tour (in French) – Tickets must be booked in advance
Tickets available online at www.nuitdeschateaux.com

Sunday 23 october 2022

Farm to fork

Cookery workshops with vegetables from the manor’s gardens

• 11 am to 5 pm
• Price and booking via the website

Over the centuries, humans have developed a huge range of varieties adapted to the land and local conditions: that’s what we call domestic biodiversity. This biodiversity has sharply declined in recent years. It is therefore of utmost importance to preserve its wealth and give it a place on the agricultural and food landscape. These living treasures are part of our history and our identity, and they conceal forgotten tastes and flavours!