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Tropical Fruit => Tropical Fruit Discussion => Topic started by: All the fruit on August 23, 2019, 01:56:20 AM

Title: Best places for fruit hunting in S France
Post by: All the fruit on August 23, 2019, 01:56:20 AM
Hi,
going to S France next week. Lyon and then s towards the Mediterranean or sw towards the ocean. Any ideas about good places to find rare fruit (best botanic gardens, fruit farms, nurseries, arboretums, tropical fruit forum members, shops)?
Thank you
Title: Re: Best places for fruit hunting in S France
Post by: Benoit30 on August 23, 2019, 04:15:36 PM
I would recommend you to visit Menton if you like nice gardens.
You will find more information here:
https://www.menton.fr/-Menton-ville-Jardin-.html (https://www.menton.fr/-Menton-ville-Jardin-.html)
Near Menton : jardin botanique de Monaco, villa hambury (Italia)
Title: Re: Best places for fruit hunting in S France
Post by: All the fruit on August 23, 2019, 09:37:02 PM
Thank you. Any other cool places?
Title: Re: Best places for fruit hunting in S France
Post by: Benoit30 on August 24, 2019, 02:09:53 PM
https://jardinfruitieravapessa.com/ (https://jardinfruitieravapessa.com/)
This is in Corsica.
Title: Re: Best places for fruit hunting in S France
Post by: All the fruit on August 24, 2019, 10:13:39 PM
Not going there this time but thank you.
Anything interesting on the Atlantic coast?
Title: Re: Best places for fruit hunting in S France
Post by: Solko on August 25, 2019, 05:17:51 AM
I am just on my way back from a ‘tour de France’ and here I have some leads that I had noted down. I myself haven’t been able to visit any of them due to lack of time on this family holiday.

I did find Avocado trees on the Mediterranean coast, Feijoa and loquat all through France, and large collections of citrus and apples in all the different chateaus....

Here are my notes:

An older website with partially accurate information (some nurseries don’t exist anymore)
http://www.fruitiers-rares.info/articles-A123a128/article124-pepinieres-fruitiers-rares-France.html (http://www.fruitiers-rares.info/articles-A123a128/article124-pepinieres-fruitiers-rares-France.html)

And this nursery looks pretty interesting, but they are on holiday til September.
https://www.sebtan.fr/ (https://www.sebtan.fr/)

The INRA has a large apple collection near Angers and near Bordeaux, but I can’t seem to find the info on how to visit them.
https://www.pommiers.com/verger-conservatoire/conservatoire- (https://www.pommiers.com/verger-conservatoire/conservatoire-)

Hope that helps!

Bon voyage!
Title: Re: Best places for fruit hunting in S France
Post by: Solko on August 25, 2019, 05:28:18 AM
And if you are going all the way to the most western part of Bretagne, you can try to find the most northern avocado tree of France, in the center of the small town of Plouider.

https://www.letelegramme.fr/local/finistere-nord/brest/lesneven/plouider/culture-francoise-deniaux-regarde-pousser-ses-avocats-14-07-2011-1370099.php (https://www.letelegramme.fr/local/finistere-nord/brest/lesneven/plouider/culture-francoise-deniaux-regarde-pousser-ses-avocats-14-07-2011-1370099.php)

(Link thanks to Benoit - from his blog)
Title: Re: Best places for fruit hunting in S France
Post by: All the fruit on August 25, 2019, 05:59:08 AM
Wow, thanks. I never thought they would grow that far north. Anything on the Mediterranean?
Title: Re: Best places for fruit hunting in S France
Post by: Benoit30 on August 25, 2019, 08:56:36 AM
If you really care about rare\exotic plants, there's nothing like Menton in France. A gardener told me that in garavan (a quartier of Menton) there were no frost during the xx century.
Last week I saw a ceriman (Monstera deliciosa) fruiting. In Val rameh botanic garden there's a large Bombax ceiba. Near the casino a very big Ficus ellastica, and near Menton at Roquebrune you will find the oldest Oliver tree (some people claim it's the oldest three on Earth, but I think it's not...).
I wrote several articles on my blog about this unexpected USDA zone 11 in France:

http://acclimatons.com/cat/menton/ (http://acclimatons.com/cat/menton/)
Title: Re: Best places for fruit hunting in S France
Post by: All the fruit on August 26, 2019, 12:57:33 AM
Wow, thanks, Menton sure is on my list, too. What about the Narbonne or Bordeaux area?
Title: Re: Best places for fruit hunting in S France
Post by: Benoit30 on September 20, 2019, 03:36:50 PM
Do you find interesting places in France?
I think that people in France are rarely cultivating eddible fruits. they focus on decorative plants and flowers.
Title: Re: Best places for fruit hunting in S France
Post by: All the fruit on September 21, 2019, 05:04:39 AM
Yes, i found incredible stuff in France
They are usually not so keen on growing exotic stuff but the usual peaches, melons or apricots are very good.
However, in the area of Menton/France - Bordighera/Italy on the foothills of the Akps there is a subtropical heaven at the same geographical letitude as S Canada. (yes, Canada, not California). Here i picked outdoor papayas, avocados, dates, Malpighia, Eugenia, bananas, macadamia, jelly palm and many many more. I made tons of vids about the rare fruit as well as the amazing gardens and will keep uploading them for at least one more month:

https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCrKEeyhQxkfeXy-HN1R8wCA