On May 15, at the Opéra Bastille, The jardin du Lautaret, under the supervision ofUniversité Grenoble Alpes the CNRS, received the prestigious Art du Jardin award, presented by the
The jardin du Lautaret, open to visitors from May 1 to September 30, is a unique botanical garden located at an altitude of 2,000 meters. It is the highest botanical garden in Europe and is home to a wide variety of plant species from around the world. The
On Monday, July 22, 2024, celebrated the award ceremony with its summer visitors, in the presence of its supervisory authorities, Ms. Logvinova Smalto, the Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs, and all of its partners.
~ On the festivities program~
10 a.m.: Welcome address and introduction to the day by Jean-Gabriel Valay, Director of the Lautaret Garden.
10:30 a.m.: Guided tours of the Lautaret garden in small groups.
Presentation of the Central Asian and Chinese collections.
Presentation of a research project. Here, researchers are studying trees in alpine environments in the context of climate change. They measure the circumference of the trunk using an incredibly accurate device that can measure to within a thousandth of a millimeter! This provides them with information about the tree's growth, its sensitivity to frost, its water loss, or, conversely, its ability to hydrate itself. They also listen to the sounds produced by tiny air bubbles that can form in the circulation system during summer or winter droughts.
The garden has a large collection of cushion plants. These species have adapted morphologically in response to the extreme living conditions at very high altitudes.
Discount
of the 2024 Garden Art Award and speech.
Speech by Brigitte Larroumec from the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regional Cultural Affairs Department. The jardin du Lautaret designated a "remarkable garden" since 2005, and this designation has been renewed every five years since then, thanks to its cultural, aesthetic, historical, and botanical interest.
Speech by Natalia Logvinova Smalto, President of the Signature Foundation. "I am dazzled! I don't know where to look, the garden is so beautiful."
Presentation of the award plaque to the Lautaret garden team and acceptance speech in which Jean-Gabriel Valay highlights the incredible work done by the gardeners to showcase the collections and landscapes that surround us.
Speech by Marjorie Fraisse, Regional Delegate of the CNRS Alpes. An opportunity to celebrate 125 years of passion for botany and to highlight the importance of
Lucie Koffler in our history and to highlight the current welcome and support given to scientists in many fields of science that go far beyond botany alone.
Speech by Damien Jouvenot, Vice President of Scientific and Technical Culture atUniversité Grenoble Alpes. "The jardin du Lautaret an incomparable gem," a true "spearhead of scientific and technical culture atUniversité Grenoble Alpes."
The inviting powers of the Celebration and their representatives posing proudly with the Garden Art Award plaque.
Inaugural cocktail party
Damien Jouvenot, Vice President of Scientific and Technical Culture atUniversité Grenoble Alpes Nathalie Cotte, Director of the Grenoble Observatory of Universe Sciences.
From left to right: Daniel Zambrano, Scientific Tourism Project Manager; Isabelle Girard, Garden Hostess; Jean-Louis Latil, nurseryman specializing in alpine plants, friend of the Garden and initiator of past artistic residencies; Pascale Salze, stage manager and research assistant; Blandine Roussel, retired from the Lautaret Garden.
Natalia Logvinova Smalto, President of the Signature Foundation, which initiated the creation of the Garden Art Prize; Maxime Rome, collections manager, and Céline Boudard, communications and development officer, who submitted the Lautaret garden's application.
Discussions on research development between local figures, Margot Merle, 4th Deputy Mayor of Monêtier-les-Bains, Jean-Gabriel Valay, Director, and Jérôme Forêt, Station Manager of the Lautaret Garden.
.Concert in the garden, Messiaen Festival in the Pays de la Meije
Lila Jeunet on cello and Lisa Couavoux on guitar, performing selected pieces by composers Atanas Ourkouzounov, Antonio Ruiz-Pipo, Kaija Saariaho, Enrique Granados, and Radamés Gnattali.
The management of the Lautaret Garden would like to thank the inviting authorities, the members of its team, the staff of the Office of the President ofUniversité Grenoble Alpes, the communications departments of the UGA and the OSUG for their help in organizing this event. It would also like to thank the Garden's visitors, the press, and all those who took part in this wonderful day of celebration.
Discovery and science
