Explore the emblematic plants of the South of France | Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Tourism

Everything you need to know about lavender growing

No doubt you can recognize lavender. But do you know how it is grown and how it is processed to be used in cosmetics, well-being or food products? For the answer, head for the producers in the region who are labelled Bienvenue à la Ferme. In Valensole, the GAEC du Riou welcomes you all year round to explain the lavender-growing cycle and take you on a tour of its traditional distillery. If you’re near Mezel, head for Bleu d’Argens. You can visit the farm’s lavender fields and learn more about harvesting and distillation methods. Use this opportunity to drop into the shop, where the shelves are full of well-being products which smell so good!

Discovering high-mountain plants

Which plants are best adapted to high altitudes? All the ones you’ll see in the pépinières de Luc André. Its farm labelled Bienvenue à la Ferme in the municipality of Saix, at an altitude of 900 metres, is specialized in the cultivation of plants which are capable of thriving in the mountains. So, you’ll see stubby, solid, compact plants such as decorative bushes, all sorts of conifers, fruit trees, rose bushes, big flowers, etc. Take your time and walk around this lovely plant world and ask for advice from a professional when choosing your new plant! There’s also a gite where you can spend the night on the spot and wake up in the middle of the nurseries and the Buëch valley.

A haven of peace in the middle of aromatic plants

Thyme, rosemary, verbena, lavender, hybrid lavender… can you tell which is which among the aromatic plants which grow in the South of France? Magali and Philippe will be delighted to welcome you to their estate, Le Catalan, to help you work it all out. The mas, labelled Bienvenue à la Ferme, is a former farmhouse dating back to the 16th century with guest rooms which are all charming. Here, they grow herbes de Provence, hay, almond trees, sunflowers, etc. and the surrounding natural environment is an invitation to discovery. Take a hike and learn to recognize the plants around you! And when you leave, you can take one or several homemade essential oils available for sale on the spot.

Come and meet the orchids

If you like orchids and their bewitching beauty, you’ll just love this enormous 2500m2 orchid farm. In Roquebrune-sur-Argens, the Orchidées de Michel Vacherot farm is now in the hands of his daughter Raphaëlle. In the greenhouses, thousands of orchids, tillandsias and aquatic plants are grown… Labelled Bienvenue à la Ferme, the farm has visits and workshops to find out all there is to know about these remarkable plants. You will discover the greenhouses and the laboratory where the orchids are created in vitro and if you take part in the workshop, you’ll learn the right ways of growing your orchids, caring for them, potting them without damaging them… Soon, these delicate and mysterious plants will not hold any secrets for you!

Saffron, the red gold of Provence

Crocus sativus, the flower from which the famous saffron is extracted, is also very delicate. Perfectly adapted to the gentle climate of the south of France, they bloom in October, for a mere 3 to 4 weeks, and are easily recognized with their bright purple petals and their long dark red pistil. Every year, at this time, in Monteux, the teams of Douceurs du Comtat, saffron producers labelled Bienvenue à la Ferme, pick the crocus sativus by hand every morning, and then put them to dry straight away at a controlled temperature. You need between 150 and 200 flowers for 1 gramme of saffron! To obtain a fine, precious spice which is used in the famous Marseille bouillabaisse it’s a painstaking and precise job. If you’d like to know more about how these noble flowers are grown, contact Les Douceurs du Comtat to make a reservation and visit their farm.