Grande Fête du Jardin de Mézilles

The Grande Fête du Jardin de Mézilles: the meeting place for plant lovers in Puisaye

Since 2004, every year on Ascension Day, the village of Mézilles (Yonne, Puisaye) transforms into a paradise for plants and gardens. The Grande Fête du Jardin, organized at the Jardin Ribaudin, in the heart of the village, has become one of the most anticipated green events in the Yonne and surrounding departments. Each year, it brings together nursery owners, horticulturists, producers of rare plants, and passionate amateurs in a friendly rural market atmosphere.

The Jardin Ribaudin: an exceptional setting for a plant festival

The Jardin Ribaudin, nestled in the heart of Mézilles village, provides an ideal setting for this plant gathering. This communal green space, surrounded by old stone houses, hosts exhibitor stands in a French garden atmosphere. The tree-lined alleys and shaded lawns create a bucolic and relaxing setting, conducive to strolling and discovering plants.

An exceptional plant market

The heart of the festival is its plant market, which offers an exceptional selection of plants:

• Rare perennial plants and old varieties not found in conventional garden centers
• Ornamental shrubs and old and modern roses
• Aromatic and medicinal plants: herbs, simples, fragrant plants
• Old vegetables and local vegetable seeds
• Aquatic plants for ponds and water features
• Climbing and ground cover plants
• Plant exchanges between amateur gardeners

Crafts and local products

In addition to plants, the festival features artisans whose creations are linked to nature and gardens: potters, basket weavers, wood sculptors, garden object designers, and birdhouse and tool makers. Local producers also offer jams, honeys, herbal teas, essential oils, and other local products from the Puisaye region. Tastings of Yonne wines and artisanal ciders complete the offerings.

Horse Festival in parallel

On the same day, the Mézilles Animation Committee organizes a horse festival in the village streets. A presentation competition for equines, with awards for the most beautiful horses, ponies, and donkeys, precedes a final parade in front of the church square in the late morning. This complementary event reinforces the rural and festive character of the day.

Concert-aperitif at the end of the day

The day ends with music at a concert-aperitif at 6 p.m., offered to all visitors. Over a glass of local wine or fruit juice, gardeners, visitors, and artisans gather to share the day's experiences in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere before returning to their gardens, laden with new plants.