the Plant and Garden Festival in Péré, an opportunity to make discoveries

What is it for? “It pretends to be of no use”Dominique Caussanel laughs when we ask him the question. It has already been twelve years since he invented his birds with their refined lines. Garden sculptures whose particularity is to come alive with the wind. Even under the influence of the slightest draft. Dominique Caussanel is one of the 130 exhibitors at the 51^e Plant and garden festival, October 19 to 20 at the Péré estate.

African garlic, burnet and blood sorrel

A visual arts student, he loved making origami-style paper casseroles. “When much later I found myself unemployed, I took up this idea again. It took me a long time to find the right material before starting. » Its great egret, its Japanese crane or its gray heron are made by hand from a composite material used by the nautical industry: weather-resistant, both light and non-deformable. Very quickly, the look of his birds and the simplicity of the lines appealed. Some have even taken to collecting them. Based in Eure-et-Loir, his company, Bec-ô-vent, sells throughout France.

Stuffed or decorated. There is Berry’s sugar “which can be left to finish ripening at home and eaten as cakes, soups or gratin”the patidou “which can be cooked in slices, stuffed or used for decoration”or even the jack be littleminiature pumpkin of a very pronounced orange. Jean-Michel and Hélène Gohin produce their squash and tillandsias in Châtellerault (Vienne). The look alone is worth the detour: seeing their incredible faces, you’d think some cucurbits had come out of a cartoon.

It’s rusty and it’s on purpose. Tourangeaux, Sabine and Patrick Moreau make iron garden furniture. Tables, lanterns, bird baths, stakes for dahlias, pyres, consoles, orange tree containers… Their uniqueness: a rusty color that is both rustic and timeless. “I take them out for a week and let the rust develop naturally, before applying a stabilizer which lets the material breathe. »

Weeds. The burnet? The leaves in a salad add a nutty and cucumber flavor. There is also African garlic, blood sorrel or perennial rocket, ideal in salads or in a pesto. “Here we sow everything we sell”warns a sign. In Saintonge, Thomas Gouello and Yoanna Marescot grow edible perennial plants and fruit trees on less than one hectare. Plants specially adapted to the clay-limestone soils of the region, chosen for their rustic and robust side. Also adapted to the new climate situation. All this organic. “What is important to us is to be 100% producers. » Their nursery, Herbes Folles, was created in 2016. Not so crazy, herbs, since Thomas Gouello and Yoanna Marescot manage to earn two decent salaries from their activity. While choosing in principle a policy of low prices. “ We don’t sell anything above 20 euros. We sell at prices where we would like to buy. »

Yves Revert

51^e Plant and garden festival, Péré estate, Prissé-la-Charrière. This Sunday, October 20 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission: 7 euros (1 euro for students and job seekers). Free for under 16s.