Spring Plant Festival

A botanical gathering in a 67-hectare park

Since 1997, the Spring Plant Festival has been held annually at the Château de la Bourdaisière in Montlouis-sur-Loire, in a historic 67-hectare park that houses the famous National Tomato Conservatory. This spring event, which has become a must-attend for gardening enthusiasts in the Loire Valley, welcomes around 8,000 visitors over three days.

An exceptional plant market

The heart of the Plant Festival is its market of nursery owners and horticulturists. Dozens of specialized exhibitors offer a remarkable selection of seeds, plants, plant collections, perennials, shrubs, roses, aromatic and medicinal plants. Amateurs can also find gardening tools, garden furniture, and decorations to enhance their outdoor spaces. The tomato plants from the Conservatory, with their hundreds of old and rare varieties, are particularly sought after.

Conferences and demonstrations

The program includes thematic conferences led by renowned garden specialists, botanists, and landscape designers. Visitors can ask their questions to experts during personalized advice sessions and attend practical demonstrations dedicated to the art of gardening: pruning, grafting, permaculture, composting, and organic cultivation techniques.

The National Tomato Conservatory

La Bourdaisière houses the National Tomato Conservatory, a unique collection in France of over 700 varieties of old and contemporary tomatoes from around the world. Visitors to the Plant Festival can discover this exceptional conservatory and acquire plants of rare varieties for their own vegetable gardens. The traditional Easter egg hunt in the park completes the family program.

An exceptional Renaissance setting

The Château de la Bourdaisière, built in the 15th century and remodeled during the Renaissance, offers a majestic setting for this event. Once the residence of Gabrielle d'Estrées, favorite of Henry IV, the château is now a charming hotel surrounded by a remarkable park. Visitors can take advantage of the Plant Festival to discover the French gardens, the vegetable garden, the greenhouses, and the wooded park of the estate.