The Languedoc is one of the hottest and sunniest areas of France with much of the region falling into the Mediterranean climate zone, but with wide climate and vegetation variations - fascinating for the visitor interested in botany, plants and gardens. Near the coast, the weather is warm and sunny and winter frost is rare. Inland, summers are hotter and winters colder and in the mountainous areas the climate changes again. The region has a wealth of incomparable natural features: glittering lagoons along the coast give way to wine-growing plains and then to the garrigue. Further inland the mountains have their own splendid scenery and vegetation.

For the plantsman and gardener the most interesting part of the region is towards the foothills of the mountains. Patchworks of vines, interspersed with silvery green olive plantations, contrast with the rugged wildness of the garrigue and maquis countryside and its characteristic mediterranean vegetation: evergreen oaks; junipers; pines; strawberry trees; aromatic plants such as cistus, thyme, lavender and rosemary, which can sustain life in this arid, stony soil during hot, dry summers. In spring, there is the delight of finding wild bulbs and orchids, native to the area: charming miniature narcissi, tulips, and stunning dwarf irises in many colours.

The gardens of the Languedoc are different from neighbouring Provence. Some reflect the 19th century period of prosperity in the area, such as the well-established gardens of the Château de Flaugergues and the Bambouseraie de Prafrance. Other gardens complement magnificent monuments such as the beautiful Abbaye de Fontfroide. However, many of Languedoc's gardens have been planted more recently by quirky enthusiasts and "passionné": the Jardin de La Bouichère was begun thirty years ago, but is already home to over 2,500 plants. At the Cactuseraie in Montolieu, Nicolas Rouger experiments with cacti and succulent plants which will withstand the winters in the area. The prizewinning Jardins de St Adrien owe their existence to a vision of transforming an abandoned quarry into a place of beauty. All these gardens, and more, are a delight and an adventure to explore.