Arboretum des prés-des-culands

Meung-sur-Loire, France, France

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The Arboretum des Prés des Culands, also known as the Jardin Arboretum d'Ilex or Conservatoire national d'Ilex, is a 2-hectare private arboretum specializing in Ilex (holly) varieties, located at La Nivelle, Chemin de Culand, Meung-sur-Loire, Loiret department, Centre-Val de Loire, France, between Orléans and Blois.

Originally a marshy area developed by monks from the 6th century and abandoned in the 1950s, the site was acquired by Nadine and Pierre Paris in 1987 and transformed through manual labor into this landscaped park featuring small islands connected by wooden bridges, with water channels called "mauves" surrounding garden scenes.

The arboretum holds the Conservatoire des Collections Végétales Spécialisées (CCVS) designation for its national collection containing over 500 Ilex types including 60 species, 150 hybrids, and 250 varieties obtained from botanical gardens worldwide, and also features rich collections of Astilbes, approximately 300 Clematis, numerous maples (Acers), bamboo, hydrangeas, and cornus.

The park is labeled "Jardin Remarquable" by the French Ministry of Culture, bears the "Parc Botanique" label from the Association des Parcs Botaniques de France, and offers admission at €5-€7 for adults, free for those under 18, with opening hours from April 25 to September 27, Thursday through Sunday from 2 PM to 6 PM, open by appointment for group visits.