Le parcours découverte de Lauris
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ENGLISH🇬🇧
Panel 16 The Garden of Tinctorial Plants
Colours have long been an integral part of our village. As early as the 16th century, the village was a very active centre for the production of natural colours, with scarlet and crimson obtained from the cochineal beetles that once swarmed the kermes oaks of the Luberon and the famous madder red obtained from a plant widely cultivated in the Durance plain, from Pertuis to Althen-les-Paluds until 1900. In addition, several coloured plants endemic to the Luberon, in particular buckthorn, fustet (wig tree), and woad were transported to Avignon for the needs of the dyers.
The Conservatory, established on the terraces of the Château, is therefore an integral part of a region strongly marked by the dyeing tradition. This botanical garden, the only one of its kind in Europe, is entirely devoted to dye plants; more than 250 species of plants, originating from all over the world, from which dyes are extracted for dyeing, painting, cosmetics and food. It can be visited in the high season with a poetic and educational tour along its 50 thematic squares.