Fête des Ouches et des Plantes de Morogues

The Berry « ouches » in the spotlight

For over twenty years, the Morogues Ouches and Plants Festival has been celebrating the « ouches », these small spaces dedicated to vegetable gardens that are an integral part of Berry's rural heritage. Organized annually on the first weekend of May in the grounds of Château de Maupas, in Morogues (Cher), halfway between Bourges and Sancerre, this event brings together gardening enthusiasts, botany lovers, families, and the curious in an exceptional heritage setting.

A rich and varied plant fair

The heart of the festival is a plant fair bringing together nurserymen and horticulturists who offer a wide selection of plants: perennials, shrubs, rare flowers, vegetable seedlings, aromatics, and seeds. Exhibitors advise visitors and share their horticultural expertise. A plant exchange market also allows amateur gardeners to swap cuttings, seedlings, and plants in a spirit of sharing and conviviality. The festival also hosts a flea market, crafts, and regional products, as well as an area dedicated to chickens and gardening equipment.

Conferences, workshops, and activities

Beyond its commercial aspect, the Ouches Festival offers a rich cultural and educational program. Conferences address current topics such as chemical-free gardening, permaculture, garden health, composting, beekeeping, the art of bonsai, or aphrodisiac plants. The League for the Protection of Birds is regularly present, and a herbal tea bar welcomes the public.

Creative workshops and games are offered to children and families on Sunday. Fun competitions like the "Flying or Crawling Insects" contest raise awareness among young audiences about biodiversity. The Ouchothèque, a space dedicated to small vegetable gardens, presents examples of layouts and cultivation adapted to small spaces.

Nature and heritage walks

The festival also offers nature outings accompanied by a professional guide: a botanical walk to discover local flora, a visit to the Morogues church and its flowered surroundings, a photographic tour of plants. These outings combine the discovery of nature with the enhancement of the village's architectural and landscape heritage.

A festival committed to ecology

Since its beginnings in 2003, the Ouches Festival has been part of an initiative to raise awareness of ecology and sustainable gardening. The themes addressed — chemical-free gardening, garden health, composting, biodiversity preservation — demonstrate this commitment to environmentally friendly gardening.