This weekend is our open house.
Since 2014, we open our gardens by appointment, but also twice a year during our open days. It is always a real pleasure to meet you there to talk around the plants and a glass very cool or hot, depending on the season.
In August 2010, Edwin Smits advises the visit of our gardens to the 'British Conifer Society' and the 'Nederlandse Coniferen Vereniging'. Edwin is an outstanding conifer farmer and breeder that we have used to visit for a long time. He knows our collection because we buy his plants and tell him about our plantations. He discovered it in 2010 and is really surprised to walk in a real landscaped garden. We welcome about thirty conifer lovers. Among them, Derek Spicer, co-author of the illustrious 'Encyclopedia of Conifers' of the Royal Horticultural Society, which will be released two years later. You find photos of our garden in this book in two volumes.
The breeder photographing one of his varieties: Thuja occidentalis 'Filip's Magic Moment'.
In September 2012, because they had been told only good, there are forty Americans who land at Bastogne, among them Tom Cox, from Cox Arboretum in Canton, Georgia. The praise is strong and encouragement to open our collections to the public is heard. They are unanimous, these lovers of conifers claim that our garden is the most beautiful they have visited during their journey in France and Belgium.
In 2014, we condemn a long boarder to develop a small nursery. We open Les jardins du Florilège to the public. We participate in several plant fairs, including that of La feuillerie in Celles. We will have the pleasure of welcoming Palick Van Hövell for a private visit of our gardens.
In May, in Courson, we sneak up on Luc Noël and give our flyer to his fingers. The approach was not vein because in September he calls us to shoot a show of 'Jardins et Loisirs' (RTBF-Belgian television) the following week. It will go on air at the beginning of March 2015.
In August, we have the privilege of welcoming Brent J. Markus and Sam Pratt from Conifer Kingdom, a conifer nursery (Silverton / Oregon).
In January 2015 we join the 'Open Gardens of Belgium' Asbl founded by Jelena De Belder.
In May 2015, the city of Bastogne inaugurated the first 'Nature Admise' exhibition. It chooses Les Jardins du Florilège to organize the press conference dedicated to publicize the event. We are pleased to welcome Benoit Lutgen, mayor of the city and president of the cdH. This Sunday will be the 5th edition of the show, at Elisabeth Park.
At our spring open house, many surprises with these distinguished visitors:
Marc Knaepen and his wife.
Two Dutch coniferous producers : Wiel Linssen and Leon Meuter.
In November, not happy to have come once, Luc Noël offers us to shoot a new show in our gardens. Francis being abroad, Jardins et Loisirs relocates to Bastogne for Saint Nicolas. The show goes on TV on December 6, 2015.
In 2016 and 2017, we receive the visit of several journalists of the written press: Christian Ledeux of L'Ami des Jardins (the article appears in February 2018); Jean-Pierre Gabriel of Vif l'Express (the article was published in April 2017); Sarah Janssens of the Avenir and the Deuzio magazine (the article was published in December 2017) and Sonja Mathieu of the L'Esprit Jardin (The article was published in January 2018).
http://weekend.levif.be/lifestyle/maison/les-jardins-du-florilege-une-encyclopedie-vivante-a-decouvrir-durant-les-jardins-ouverts-de-belgique/article-normal-638493.html
In May 2017, a team of TV Lux comes to shoot a small report that passes a few days before the doors open:
https://www.tvlux.be/video/info/tourisme/les-jardins-du-florilege-s-ouvrent-au-public_26103.html
In April 2018, we received the circle of Belgian dendrologists with Pierre Lhoir of UCL, accompanied by Abraham Rammeloo, director of the arboretum of Kalmthout.
In May 2018, we welcome for a private visit of the well known Didier Willery and his wife.
Mais finalement, que les éloges viennent de personnes plus ou moins connues ou reconnues dans le monde des plantes, importe peu. Nous partageons notre passion avec autant de plaisir gourmand et sommes toujours aussi étonnés que notre travail anime vos cœurs et étonne votre raison. Apparemment, les jardins du Florilège sont riches en surprises et dépassent les attentes. Ce sont des notions qui nous dépassent complètement et nous sommes toujours ravis et surpris de vous écouter parler ou de vous lire à leur propos.
Alors rendez-vous samedi ou dimanche ! Nous sommes pressés de vous y retrouver.