The very discreet Square Léon Serpollet in Paris

[kerouac2]

Although this square is in easy walking distance of where I live, I had never been to see it and only just learned that it existed last year.  There was a little article in the monthly newspaper for the 18th arrondissement mentioning (a year ago) that this square was reopening after quite a bit of work.  The article also said that it was noteworthy because herons sometimes visited its pond, the only place in the 18th where they did so.

Another thing that I learned from the article was that it was much larger than just a "square" -- more than 15,000 square metres.  I decided that it was time to visit.

It's true that when you approach it on the street, it doesn't look like there is much there, just those trees up ahead on the left.

It's not a very old park as such things go in Paris.  It was only created in 1991 on the site of Léon Serpollet's factory.

The flower beds had just been planted for the season.

However, I quickly discovered that there are a number of wonderful botanical wild areas.  (Fake wild, of course -- I'm sure they are carefully tended.)

[kerouac2]

These things bloomed during lockdown and are going into their seed phase.

There are three different playgrounds in the square, one of which was closed (monkey bars crawling with imaginary covid).

floral interlude

Aha!  Here are the gardeners, hard at work.

giant monster thistles

old men carefully following the rules -- masks and distancing

[kerouac2]

I knew the names of so many more plants when I was little, because I had grandparents to tell me what they were.

This garden was a paradise for bees.

This looked like Queen Anne's lace to me, except that it was bright yellow.

the wilds of Paris

[casimira]

I love when large cities have these delightful spaces for people to go to and sit relaxing out of doors. Several cities here in the US have little squares similar to this one you discovered.

NYC has them interspersed and they always seem to be utilized and are inviting places for people to meet and gather.
Savannah , Georgia has many old ones and when I visited there I found myself going to several of them while out exploring.

The plantings in your newly discovered space appear to be mature as though they've been there for awhile.

That tall yellow cluster of what looks like Queen Anne's Lace is yarrow. It seems to really like it there.
I also spied a pink hollyhock and of course lavender, gaura, roses, and some healthy blooming yucca.

I see that the square is named after a French inventor/industrialist from the turn of the century who discovered a type of boiler tube that efficiently produced steam which was a valuable source for engines to operate.

[kerouac2]

Thanks, casi.

The smaller-than-expected pond was at the back of the garden.

I did not see any herons.  

There was a higher area of the garden from which I could observe the sporting equipment.  For a "square," they had really packed this area with a lot of stuff.

The whole place was seeming bigger and bigger.

There were also walkways with areas of benches so that people could sit and read or talk or make out.

Or you could look down at the sporting areas.

[kerouac2]

I would have liked to see this fountain working. I have not seen any working fountains in Paris since the covid thing started. Maybe flying water is a health risk.



I started to head out towards the street.



But then I discovered a whole new section over to the side.





















I just couldn't get enough of the bees. Or get most of them in focus properly.



Okay, I give up.



How could I have missed these huge spaces? Okay, this one isn't pretty, but you need areas like this for screaming toddlers to run around and injure themselves.



And then I found the secret exit to the square on rue Marcadet.



No wonder I had never seen this place before! I will definitely return on a sunny summer day. Today was not it.

[fumobici]

Fantastic! How often can someone who has lived in Paris since la la période glaciaire discover such an unknown treasure in their own back yard?

The park looks like a marvelous use of the space and whoever is doing the plantings, garden architecture, and maintenance clearly are talented. I feel your pain trying to get pollinator photos in focus.

[kerouac2]

Jun 8, 2020 18:53:03 GMT fumobici said:

How often can someone who has lived in Paris since la période glaciaire discover such an unknown treasure in their own back yard?

The "problem" is that there are countless "squares" in Paris and most of them are just tiny neighbourhood things for people living just a block away. It doesn't really make you want to scour every single place called a square. And that's what makes it all the more delightful when I find that I have been proven wrong.

[lagatta]

www.paris.fr/equipements/square-leon-serpollet-2665 That is one of the magical things about Paris, a densely-populated city with very classical architecture (even the modern parts) but with all these hidden delights.

I love photo reports on moody, not-sunny days as well.

[lugg]

Wonderful . It looks like it is a real asset to the neighbourhood. I guess the children would play in the pool around the fountain if it was running. It is nice to see playgrounds open - here they are still closed even though some children are back at school.

[tod2]

Discovering Sq.Leon-Serpollet is almost a "How could I not know this before " moment. Especially as you and I had walked from my hotel in Rue Lamarck, down the metro steps and along Rue Marcadet where there was no sign of a park-like square. Had we gone a little further into Rue des Cloys then turned left, we may have discovered this little gem! There you go, it was not to be.
I did notice that there is a Square Leon in Rue St.Luc, which is even closer to you.

[kerouac2]

Yes, but Square Léon has not had a good reputation in recent years unless you are interested in buying drugs. Nevertheless, it has lots of sporting areas, perhaps almost half of the surface. Not much for old people to sit around.

[bjd]

Jun 9, 2020 12:41:52 GMT lugg said:

Wonderful . It looks like it is a real asset to the neighbourhood. I guess the children would play in the pool around the fountain if it was running. It is nice to see playgrounds open - here they are still closed even though some children are back at school.

Even here in the southwest, lightly affected by the epidemic, playgrounds that are fenced in are still closed. Only those without fences are open to kids.

[bixaorellana]

Well, Kerouac, you have certainly outdone yourself with this explosion of beauty. I love how the park seems barely there from the street, but like Mary Poppins stepping through the picture frame, bam! suddenly there is an expansive area full of happy park-goers.

Your closeup plant and flower portraits are just wonderful. I practically fell into the one of the hollyhock.

To continue Casimira's IDing ~ that first "wild" space you show is such a great example of creating a tropical effect with hardy plants. The great big Acanthus and the Cordyline (the yucca-looking thing) give the impression of the garden of Eden. After that comes Russian sage (previously known as Perovskia atriplicifolia, now Salvia yangii) nestled up to a real yucca in gorgeous creamy bloom. Your "things [which] bloomed during lockdown and are going into their seed phase" are irises, and the yellow "bee paradise" flowers are St. John's wort (either Hypericum perforatum or H.kalmianum). The "wilds of Paris" picture has Kinfophia in the middle ground. That section you discovered down that beautifully captured path has pomegranate and passion flower. I've left out a bunch, but there are others here who can fill in the blanks.

Your last two photos are great, showing clearly how that rather large green space is hidden in plain sight.

Thanks for taking us to the park!

[fumobici]

Jun 10, 2020 0:51:41 GMT bixaorellana said:

Russian sage (previously known as Perovskia atriplicifolia, now Salvia yangii)

At the risk of a thread hijack, I hadn't heard that Russian Sage had been reclassified as a Salvia, that's interesting. I'm pretty sure the last one I bought was still labeled Perovskia, so this must be a pretty recent thing.

[kerouac2]

Not a hijack at all -- after all, this is a garden thread with lots of pictures of plants and flowers. It is totally appropriate to discuss what you see.

[bixaorellana]

Jun 10, 2020 15:54:01 GMT fumobici said:

I hadn't heard that Russian Sage had been reclassified as a Salvia

I didn't know, either. I was looking at Kerouac's gorgeous closeups and thinking, "That sure looks like a sage flower and after all, it's called Russian sage, but it's stems aren't square." Since I had no idea of the correct spellings of the botanical names, I looked it up & that's when I found out about the classification change.