The bamboo garden is the first place of interest for tourists in the region and the only botanical garden of this kind in Europe. Enriched by a beautiful and large collection of exotic plants and trees (magnolias, gingkoes, sequoias, palm trees, bonsais, etc.), the bamboos are the most original plants in the garden.
The silent and peaceful immensity of this garden , the blends of incredible scents, the plays of light and shade affect the visitor in a very positive and relaxing way.

Bambouseraie de Prafrance, 30140 Générargues (2km from Anduze)

• Open every day, from March 1st to November 15th, without interruption from 9.30 am.
• Tariff: 8€ for adults, 4.50€ for children under 12.
• Phone: 04 66 61 70 47
• www.bambouseraie.com

Eugène Mazel was a spice importer. He bought the domaine of Prafrance in 1856 and had plants that were almost unheard of in Europe imported from very distant lands. He transformed the Prafrance enclosure into a magnificent arboretum. The natural conditions of the site were favorable. The soil is made of fertile alluvia and the local microclimate is ideal to grow baboos. Eugène Mazel then created a channel so that the waters coming from Gardon could irrigate Prafrance. The bamboo garden was beautiful but the expenses due to the works and to the maintenance of the site were a drain on Mazel’s resources.
In 1890, he was forced to give his property to the Crédit Foncier de France, which is going to manage it until 1902 when Gaston Nègre will take over the park, and revive it. Nègre will keep the collection of plants and even enrich it by having new plants imported.
In 1948, Gaston Nègre hands the garden over his son Maurice, agricultural engineer, who is going to continue his father’s work. Maurice Nègre dies in an accident in 1960.
His wife, Janine, and then his daughter Muriel and his son-in-law Yves Crouzet have brilliantly managed the park since then on.