"It's an opportunity to reconnect": the Antibes Plant, Flower and Garden Show is on until this Sunday

Since Friday, May 2nd, the Pré-aux-Pêcheurs esplanade has been transformed into an open-air garden. At the foot of Port Vauban, the Plant, Flower, and Garden Show is in full swing until tomorrow. Between vibrant colors, intoxicating scents, and expert advice, the event celebrates plants in all their forms, but not only. Behind the flower-filled stalls, there are above all men and women who champion local expertise, a passion, and a profession in search of renewal. Three of them share their daily lives, their commitment, and their deep attachment to this land.

Arnaud, passing on knowledge to grow the future

Arnaud works at the Antibes horticultural school, in the heart of the Vert d'Azur campus. Flowering plants, vegetable seedlings, and market garden vegetables are grown on the plots. But what's also growing here are vocations. "We supervise young people, we train them in landscaping and horticulture. What I love is growing things... and passing that on to others." The school, strongly committed to the development of local and responsible agriculture, is participating in the Floralies again this year. "The goal is to make ourselves known to the general public." The stakes are high in a sector that is desperately short of workers. "There are fewer and fewer producers, in Antibes as elsewhere in France. Yet, the demand for food is still there, if not stronger." But he remains confident: "Young people need to want to take up the torch. And the Floralies is a good way to achieve that."

Thomas, rooted since childhood

In Carros, Thomas Roux grew up among the aisles of the family nursery. Today, he is one of its faces. Cap screwed on his head, a frank smile, he speaks with a mixture of love and lucidity. "I was born into this profession." Every year, the Floralies offer him a spotlight, a showcase of his fieldwork. But behind the beauty of the plants, the reality is harsher. The changing climate, the lack of young people, evolving habits. "We're selling more exotic plants, more heat-resistant. It's a different way of thinking about gardening." Thomas doesn't complain. He adapts, like his crops. And keeps faith in the earth that saw him grow.

Laurent, last of the potted horticulturists

For the Allavenas, horticulture is a generational affair. Laurent is the grandson of the founder and one of the last to still cultivate in the city center, in Juan-les-Pins. "We've been around for 75 years. But today, we're surrounded by buildings." Over time, the roses of Antibes have faded. Land, regulations, and cheap imports have gradually stifled the producers. Yet, Laurent is there, faithful to his post, between flowering pots and childhood memories. "The Floralies is an opportunity to recreate connections. To make people want to choose a local product. To stop, to smell." And perhaps, also to understand what is being lost.

Through their stories, the observation is the same: if the soil is fertile, we must sow vocations and make them last. The Floralies, beyond the beauty of the stands, carry this message. Antibes, a city of flowers since time immemorial, wants to make the future bloom again.