The Charm of Chestnuts in the Jardin du Luxembourg

It’s beginning to feel a bit like fall in Paris. The days are still warm and sunny, but the leaves are changing color, and chestnuts are beginning to fall to the ground. During a recent visit to the Jardin du Luxembourg, I watched children scampering beneath the trees like little squirrels, eagerly collecting their treasures.

The garden is home to approximately 3,000 trees, but one particular group of horse chestnuts has a rather special history. Those near the corner of Rue Guynemer and Rue de Vaugirard were grown from chestnuts collected at Monticello, the Virginia estate of Thomas Jefferson. A lovely little connection between Paris and America, hidden among the autumn leaves.

Soon after my visit to the garden, I went to my friend Cécile’s home for lunch. Her five-year-old daughter, Hannah, had created the most charming display on the living room mantel using the chestnuts she had gathered. Cécile explained that collecting chestnuts and using them to decorate the house is a familiar childhood tradition in France.

And just like that, the mystery was solved. Now I know what all those little Parisian squirrels are up to!