Ethno-botanical gardens in Salagon

Salagon's medieval priory, perched on a knoll, surfaces the surrounding agricultural land, thus maintaining a strong relationship with the landscape

In order to enhance this connection to geography and territory; Salagon's ethnobotanical gardens have been organized according to the agricultural plots.

Their setting evokes the variety of building entities composing the priory. Gardens acts as a combination, teaching past and present plant uses, in a spectrum going from "magical garden" to a collection of cultivated plants and cereals.

The collection of cultivated plants and cereals is organized according to the neighboring agricultural land, and the priory's threshing floor.

In the north-western part of the site, gardens evoke nature, in a succession of ecological plots, built in strong relation to the church and its dependant buildings.

The structure organizes the botanic collection which is enriched by gardeners and scientists of Salagon ethnological conservatory. World plants were hence added to the Mediterranean collection of plants originally planted.

Irrigation is performed in a gravitational fashion through a network of canals and basins, that remind us the preciousness of water in Mediterranean gardens.

Photographs by Paul Matheron-Tourre

Sponsor
Departemental Council of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
Situation
Salagon Priory, Mane - 43°56’3.82’’N / 5°45’39.03’’E
Budget / Area
275 000 € / 6 ha
Date
1995 - 1995
Award
Historic Monument – Awarded "Outstanding Gardens" label from the Ministry of Culture in 2005