This post is about a private botanic garden in Générargues, Gard, Languedoc-Roussillon specializing in bamboos, but it also has a small Japanese style garden. The garden was started by a dedicated horticulturalist Edward Mazel in 1856. He was interested cultivating plants that are robust against any environmental conditions, and started acclimatizing exotic species from China, Japan, North America, and Himalayas.

As I have mentioned in several occasions and in other contexts, October is an ideal time for vacation in France: it is still sunny and warm with no or little rain, and as schools have started, many popular vacation destinations are not too crowded. This was the case with the bamboo garden, too: I would guess that at peak season it would be very full, since it provides a lot of welcome shade from the heat.

And  here are some final pictures from our drive from the bamboo garden to Aurillac through the Cévennes National Park. The next post (Part III) will feature our hikes around and starting from Aurillac.