This is probably my last post from Barcelona as I am sure people are getting bored of the subject. But I am ending on a horticultural note. On our second morning we took the blue tourist bus and got off in the Montjuic area where we had a nose at the Olympic Stadium before making our way to the Jardi Botanic de Barcelona. Now I have to say that this wasn’t my best idea since the temperature was around 28C at only 10am. I tried to convince us that it would be cooler in the garden given its location on the side of the mountain overlooking Barcelona but I don’t think I convinced anyone including myself. The fact that we were the only visitors also indicated that this was probably slightly mad.
This botanic garden was opened in 1999 and replaced the old botanic garden which had to be relocated to allow for the Olympics. The gardens cover 14 acres and as you can see from the photos the structure is created with wide sweeping concrete paths. The gardens concentrate on plants which grow in mediterranean areas in Europe, Chile, Australia, South Africa, California. I think the concrete paths and the location of the garden on the side of the mountain really helped to simulate the environment the plants grow in. The harsh concrete also exaggerates the structure of some of the plants.
The gardens are set out in zones for each geographical area and all the plants are labelled although I did spot at least one which I am sure was wrong. I’m not that keen on tender plants especially as I don’t have much space to overwinter plants but it was fascinating to see a whole range of plants I wouldn’t normally encounter here in the UK.
Encephalartos natalensis
Parkinsonia aculeata
Cereus hildmannianus
There were a few plants I recognised such as lavender, cardoons and aeonium although the aeonium looks nothing like mine and it just shows you how different plants can grow in their natural environment compared to how they grow in our gardens in the UK
Whilst the temperatures weren’t ideal for garden visiting it was worth the trip just to see such different plants.
