Gardens of the island of Reunion

[FrazerHenderson]

The gardens of the island of Réunion/ Les Jardins de la Réunion

This article follows in the series Gardens of  [Country/Island] see string Gardens of Wales, General Forum.

A little bit of background….
Lynn, my wife, and I were fortunate earlier in 2008 to spend a number of months enjoying the flora and fauna of various islands in the Indian Ocean, amongst then the island of Réunion, and thought that fellow gardeners might be interested in seeing some pictures of gardens of the trip.

About the island...
The island of Réunion, a French department, lies in the southern Indian Ocean, at 21° south (latitude), 55° 30” east (longtitude)some 700 km east of Madagascar and 250km west south-west of Mauritius.  The island is about 2500km² and has the highest peak – Piton-des-neiges (Snow Peak – 3070m) - in the Indian Ocean. The coastal climate is tropical while in the mountainous interior it is temperate. Coastal temperatures average 21°C in winter to 32°C in summer. In the mountains frost and ice are common, the average winter temperatures depending on altitude vary between 3-15°C in winter and 14-25°C in summer. Inland fogs and mists are a daily occurrence and together with the volcanic rocks (the island has an active volcano – Piton-de-la Fournaise (The Furnace)) have to a large extent influenced the flora of the island.

About the flora...
There is insufficient opportunity here to describe all the many habitats so for brevity’s sake it’s worth stating that there are 5 broad habits: coastal evergreen rainforest; drier scrub/woodland on the western (or leeward) side of the island; lush montane forests ; heathland; and volcanic fields.

There are over 700 indigenous plants of which about 160 are endemic (including palms, trees, orchids, bamboos and herbaceous plants).

Out and about...
The gardens that I’ll mention are accessible by public transport. To see the island properly a private vehicle is required particularly in the highlands where forest roads predominate. Steep inclines and hairpin turns make driving somewhat challenging and certainly not for the faint-hearted – on one journey I remember 142 hairpin bends with sheer drops of over 500m in mist and then heavy rain.

Accommodation to suit all budgets is plentiful though a good working knowledge of French is essential. (There is one establishment that caters specifically for English/German speakers (www.gandalfsafaricamp.de))

About the gardens...
There are a number of superb private domestic gardens on the island (details of which are contained within the brochure Les Jardins, Splendours du Patrimone – available from local tourist offices) and they are certainly worth a peek, even though many of the plants are introductions. There is also Le Jardin du Parc Exotica in Pierrefonds (tel 0262 356545) which holds an extensive collection of cacti and orchids. The Forest Service also has a number of natural gardens, opened at set times, where visitors are taken on guided tours which focus particularly on the medicinal qualities of certain plants – these tours are usually conducted in French or Réunion creole.

I’m going to take you on a tour of 3 gardens. Starting in the capital Saint Denis there is Le Jardin de l’État  (The State Garden) then on the west coast the privately owned Le Jardin d’Éden (The Garden of Eden) at Saint-Gilles-les-Bains and then we move inland and upwards 1000m to Le Conservatoire Botanique National de Mascarin at Colimaçons near Saint Leu.

Le Jardin de l’État

Location:       1 Rue Pierre Poive, Saint-Denis (0262 200219)
Type:            Municipal
Facilities:       Toilet and refreshement caravan
Information:  Nothing not even a label, though the trees were carved with numbers!
Owner:          Government

Established as a botanical garden in the late 18th C Le Jardin de l'Etat provides a tranquil haven from the bustle of Saint Denis. Alas the garden doesn’t seem interesting neither in design, which is reminiscent of a city park, nor in terms of its collection (even though there are reputedly over 1500 species from across the globe – well they must have been holidaying on my visit). Perhaps I’m being unduly harsh because the EU together with French government is investing millions in a project to revitalise the park. A visit in a couple of years should elicit a more positive response.

The disappointment of the garden was however outweighed by the splendid Musee d’Histoire Naturelle which sits in the grounds. Housed in a exquisite colonial style building the museum is stuffed with natural wonders of Réunion and the other Mascarene islands collected during the Age of Reason. Never has a single euro been so spent so profitably!

Photos 1&2: General garden
3 The rockery!
4&5 Remodelling work
6 Plant labels - all the trees had carved numbers!!
7 The musuem
8 The solitaire the island's dodo-like bird

On the next page I'll provide details of Le Jardin d'Eden

[ranunculus]

Very interesting Frazer,
Many thanks for posting. I look forward to further instalments.

[FrazerHenderson]

Le Jardin d’Éden

Location:      L'Hermitage, 97434 Saint Gilles Les Bains (0262 338316)
Type:            Private Botanic Garden (2ha)
Facilities:      Small gift shop, tea/coffee machine, toliets
Information: Free extensive guidebooks in French, English, German focussing on ethnobotanic qualities of plants in the garden together with the planting plans and the garden's history. All plants labelled and numerous information panels.
Owner:         Private.

This private garden was created only 20 years ago almost single-handedly. It is well set out and all 600 plus species are labelled. Through pathways the garden is divided into a number of areas: a garden of senses, a section focussing on medicinal plants, an aquatic garden, a lowland bog garden, a zen garden, a native forest and a small cactus patch. Seats are plentiful to watch zany chameleons and the island’s beautifully coloured insects.

Though quite small, probably no more than 2ha, there is enough to hold one’s interest for well over a couple of hours. The owner speaks a little English and speaks highly of Kew and the RBGE!

1&2 Well laid path and board walks
3 The entrance through the world's biggest rum barrel.
4 Hibiscus caliphyllus - an endemic
5. Crinum asiaticum - even Ian and Maggie Young would be proud of this specimen!
6. Ruizia cordata - Bois de Senteur. Only 2 wild plants were left fortunately the Conservatory of Brest stepped in and saved the plant by propagating from cuttings additional specimens. It is an endemic heterophyllus species as the next two pictures illustrate.
7.Adult leaves
8. Young leaves.
9. Blimbi - Indian native tree - close up.

On the next page I'll add some more shots from this garden including some wildlife.

[FrazerHenderson]

As mentioned in last posting here are some more shots of plants as well as wildlife from Le Jardin d'Eden .

1.     Averrhoa bilimbi
2.     Fruit of the palm Hyophorbe lagenicaulis
3&4 Two different chameleons (Lynn Henderson)
5&6 In flight (Lynn Henderson)
7     A polinator - male Phalanta phalantha aethiopica (comon leopard butterfly) (Lynn Henderson)

[Maggi Young]

Frazer...and Lynn, thank you for this super new page of delights..... you do get about, don't you? 

[Armin]

Frazer,
thanks for posting this exotic impressions. Please show us more...

[FrazerHenderson]

Le Conservatoire Botanique National de Mascarin

Location:     2 rue du Pere Georges, CD12 Route des Colmacons, Saint-Leu (0262 249227)
Type:           Formal botanic garden
Facilities:     Good shop with extensive book selection including Flora of the Mascarenes (in French only), Tea Shop.
Information: Sadly mixed. The downside is that there is no guide book (not even in French) and the plants are mainly unlabelled, aside from the ferns and orchids. The upside is that there are marvellous indoor exhibitions covering the flora of the islands (in some detail) as well as comprehensive displays of seeds from all genus and how plants ensure dispersal. The medicinal use of plants is well covered both in traditional and modern medicine. The displays reminded me of the super exhibits at the Botanic Garden of Wales. There are tours on each hour led by enthusiastic young gardeners covering topics such as plants in folklore, their medicinal qualities and (for children of all ages) unusual and quirky plants in the collection. Tours are iconducted n French though once a week a tour around the collection is given in English.
Owner:       Government agency. Cost of enry 6 euros.

The garden is over 1000m above the west coast. There are 7 main areas of interest: the ethno/economic botany of the island (Lontan); an orchard (verger); a collection of endemic trees; a large and thriving succulent garden; a palmetum (if that's the correct collective noun?); an orchid house (of mainly cultivated forms); and a small fernery.

The lack of plant signage is a shame since the garden is beautifully appointed with a great path network and many information panels. The garden is probably about 6-8 ha.

We spent over 5 hours - though it has to be said some time was taken in translating panels (I wished I'd remembered a more comprehensive dictionary) - and found the visitation extremely interesting (though a little frustrating without plant labels). For the purist rock gardener it is probably best to stick to the temperate zones - we didn't see any here!

1. Map of the garden (not to scale)
2. Main building.
3. Waterlily in the small pond to the front of the building.
4. Shot to show height above the coast - it was almost perpendicular driving to get there!
5. The orchid house
6&7. Orchids
8. Polystachaya concreta

[FrazerHenderson]

Le Conservatoire Botanique National de Mascarin 

some more pictures


1. palms
2. scary palm.
3. propagating building
4. an example of a panel board
5. a rockery

[FrazerHenderson]

Le Conservatoire Botanique National de Mascarin   


Well final pictures of the succulent garden (1-4) and a natural hedge window (5)

Hope you've found something of interest in the selection of pictures and the information provided.

Reunion is accessible from Europe by direct flights from France or via Mauritius (about 100 euros return for a 30 minute hop). Australian/New Zealand gardeners can also access the island via a Mauritius stopover on certain flights to Dubai and London.

Later in the year we'll post some shots of the natural high mountain flora of Reunion once we've discarded the many pictures of mist, fog or heavy rain!!

That's all folks.

[Lesley Cox]

Reunion Island has always just been a name to me, somewhere off Africa. Now it's a REAL place and utterly fascinating it seems. I love the chameleons. What a wonderfully coloured coat the first has.

[Maggi Young]

Frazer, the little orchid in pic con 6 is a tiny gem, isn't it?  
Now then, where can I get seedlings of that scary palm to plant along our western boundary to give a message to our pesky neighbours?

[David Nicholson]

Thank you for posting these Frazer. It's always nice to see a part of the world I shall never see for real.

[Armin]

There seem to be a very nice vantage point on the sea. Like this.

[Joakim B]

Thanks for the nice presentation.
Who knows I might be able to see it person once but until then I have seen it through Your pictures
Kind regards
Joakim