The cat chewed the aloe vera. One of its branches now draws a right angle, the others dangle, all limp. Under the full light of the municipal greenhouse of Cachan (Val-de-Marne), the succulent placed in the center of a steel table is the subject of careful examination.
“I wanted to keep the aloe vera away from the cat, I put it on the windowsilladmits its owner, Nedra Daoud, straight away, relieving her conscience. He took a big hit, poor guy…
— Aloe vera is a tropical perennial that cannot stand frostrecalls without reproach Arnaud Zellek, the manager of municipal greenhouses. Do you want to give it to me for two months? I will give you news, by email, with a photo.
— Yes, she will be safe, accepts, relieved, Mme Daoud. And caress one of the soft leaves. We’ll take care of you here…”
There is humor in the fresh air of the greenhouse. But the tone of the exchange is not entirely joking, between the gardener with close-cropped hair and the seamstress whose blond lengths escape from the beret. “I was sad, it was a friend who was moving who gave it to me, this aloe vera, it has sentimental value, she specifies. And nature in the house gives me a certain well-being. »
Email advice and intensive care
The botanical drama will therefore be avoided thanks to this new service offered since September to the inhabitants of Cachan. A free plant clinic that they can contact by email, attaching a small photo of the patient. In return, they receive advice or appointments on site, being able to take the dying plant into intensive care, with their companions in the greenhouse being the future plantations of a town with four stars for its flowering.
Madam Mayor (PS) of Cachan, Hélène de Comarmond, enjoys the pleasure of being a pioneer in “fight against plant waste”, while valuing “the incredible skills of gardeners” : “They talk to residents who ask them for advice, we have only institutionalized what already existed. »
Arnaud Zellek, for his part, assures that he never gets tired of hearing the people of Cachan talk about their orchids, begonias, ficus or Pilea peperomioides. “We understand what these plants bring them, we imagine ourselves a little at home…” Certainly, the miseries suffered by urbanized plants are repeated: poorly dosed watering, pots without drainage holes, exhausted soil after years without repotting, lack of natural light, etc. “People think, ‘She’ll do well, that’s pretty.’ But the location still needs to be suitable, explains, this time with great seriousness, the municipal gardener. A plant is not a decorative object. »