From the hidden garden above the rails of Montparnasse to the future urban forest of Place de Catalogne, from the silver maples of Square Saint-Lambert to the Persian lilac that flirts with the facade of the Bon Marché, ten stops in the green to discover the bank Parisian left.
1. Natural play areas
On this May bank holiday, the three play areas of the Clos-Feuquières square are buzzing with chatter. The two arboreal stars of the place are not very tall. On two platforms intended to highlight and protect them, these beeches, classified as remarkable Parisian trees, measure only a little over ten meters in height. They were planted when the park was created in 1973. The bark of these fifty-year-olds bears the scars of the pruning that brought them to us. But their antlers are impressive. They form two particularly enveloping giant parasols. Because the two beeches are weeping, of the species Fagus sylvatica pendula. A mustard, sticks in hand, climbs the mound which welcomes them and seems to contemplate imaginary adversaries from this shaded promontory. Two others bring branches unearthed who knows where, with the idea of building an observation hut against the trunks. Happy are the sheltered pirates!
2. Plane trees for music lovers
At the exit of the Vaugirard metro station, the Jean-Chérioux square which slopes gently down towards the town hall of 15e district displays closed doors for renovation. Which does not prevent the Hungarian oak proudly planted at the entrance from extending its long branches onto the sidewalk, over the ornate gates. He looks great, this forest representative. It even looks a little wild compared to the severe rows of plane trees which border the rectangle of the square, organized around the bandstand, where the village square of Vaugirard once stood. The symmetries of the 19th centurye century are one thing, the freedom of the oak is another matter! Although it was planted barely thirty-five years ago, its fifteen meters in height places it among the eleven remarkable oaks in the capital. Its low branches, pointing towards the sky, are covered with young, large, bright green leaves. In the morning air, they would almost fan the passers-by who are hurrying out of the metro entrance.
3. The green ancestors of Saint-Lambert
You have to look hard to find these venerable trees which were the first to be planted in Saint-Lambert Square. We walk around the central flowerbeds strewn with lawn which resemble the shape of a scallop shell. We slip discreetly in front of the stage of the open-air theater where amateur actors play young people who, panicked by the state of the world, decide to prepare a revolution. And it’s the flamboyant color that ends up catching our eye. A gentleman is reading in the cool under the silver maple which dominates the landscape from its twenty meters height. Its very young leaves still have the red color that characterizes their stems. The largest ones are already turning very light green, the white reverse of which causes light effects. He comes from far away! In 1835, the Vaugirard gas factory was located here, built despite the discontent of the district which feared explosions, toxic fumes and… their harmful influence on vegetation. After eighty years of gas production which supplied some of the street lights on the left bank, the factory was razed, then the square planted, in 1933. The silver maple is still there, just like its neighbor, a Very discreet glutinous alder whose longevity commands respect.
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