Greenhouses of the Jardin des plantes d'Orléans (Grande serre and tropical house)

A first botanical garden existed in Orléans as early as 1640. In 1834 the city's apothecaries' garden was moved to the left bank of the Loire, in the Saint-Marceau district, about 350 metres from the river. It was meant to acclimatise rare plants arriving from exotic lands aboard Loire boats, and to serve study and teaching. The architect François-Narcisse Pagot designed the garden and the orangery on this occasion, and the hothouses were built at the same period.

The Grande serre went up in 1836, at first without side wings; a temperate greenhouse was added later on the left. According to the City, the garden's greenhouses form a group of buildings spread between 1836 and 1931. In June 2016 about 800 plants were moved out of the tropical house ahead of interior works of around two months planned for July, without prior notice to the public, which worried a local association; the municipality acknowledged a communication failure. In 2017 the Grande serre was renovated and adapted to host events. The site now bears the name of Jean-Paul Imbault.

The Grande serre of 1836 shows a neoclassical-spirited façade punctuated by Doric pilasters, which survive today. Originally the central building had no side wings; a temperate greenhouse on the left was added afterwards.

The sources consulted give neither the dimensions, the materials, the builder of the greenhouses themselves nor any protection status; only Pagot is named, as designer of the garden and the orangery. The 2017 renovation turned the Grande serre into a venue for receptions, exhibitions and conferences while keeping its original architectural features. The City, finally, describes a group of greenhouses that bears witness to the horticultural past of the district.

The tropical house, built in 1834 in the orangery, held according to France 3 Centre-Val de Loire 60 plant families, 2,252 plants in all, ferns, shrubs, trees and lianas: a small virgin forest, ranked among the four largest greenhouses of its type in France. In June 2016, 800 plants were moved for works; large specimens such as traveller's palms and cycads were stored at a municipal production site in Saint-Denis-en-Val, while cacti and carnivorous plants stayed on site. Only 40 specimens in poor condition were thrown away, and the plants were due to return after the works.

The 3.5-hectare garden also has seven climate gardens according to the City, including an alpine garden, a Mediterranean garden, an exotic kitchen garden, a water garden and a palm collection. The current state of the collections under glass after 2016 is not documented in the sources read.

The greenhouses stand in the Jardin des plantes Jean-Paul Imbault, place du Jardin-des-Plantes, avenue de Saint-Mesmin, on the left bank of the Loire. Allow an hour for the garden and its greenhouses. The Grande serre hosts events; the opening of the tropical house and the palm house is worth checking in advance.

The garden lies within the Loire Valley UNESCO World Heritage site. The visit combines with a walk towards the Loire banks, close by, and with the rose garden, redesigned in 2002, which occupies part of the garden.