Jardin botanique "Les Cèdres"

About

Les Cèdres is a French botanical garden located in the peninsula of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat (Alpes-Maritimes). It is a private institution located in a park of 14 hectares surrounding the villa Les Cèdres, on the edge of the bay of Villefranche-sur-Mer, on the Côte-d'Azur. It maintains more than 14,000 tropical plant species, the most fragile being preserved in 25 heated greenhouses.

History: Les Cèdres is a villa built in 1830 in the Sardinian style. In 1850, it was bought by the mayor of Villefranche-sur-Mer, David Désiré Pollonais. At that time, the first plantations of exotic species, including araucarias, were introduced by British garden architect Harold Peto. In 1904 it became the property of the Belgian king, Leopold II. When she died in 1909, she became a foundation of the Belgian government and a hospital was established there during the First World War. The property was purchased in 1924 by Louis-Alexandre Marnier-Lapostolle, creator of the liqueur Grand Marnier. His son, Julien (es), succeeded him in 1928 and intensified the introduction of exotic plants. Since 1976, the garden has been owned by the...