Horti Botanicus or the Art of Madrid’s Botanical Gardens – Diario del Ayuntamiento de Madrid

Trees and green areas are essential for people’s health. Beyond being places where you can enjoy nature, they help regulate temperature and filter pollutants. Without a doubt, Madrid is a green city. Demonstrating its horticultural heritage, the capital city offers rose gardens and botanical gardens, where many varieties of native and cultivated plants are on display. Specifically, there are five of these ‘lungs’ in the capital.

If we talk about history, the first botanical garden to be mentioned Crystal Palace of Arkansas: Greenhouse. In the Paseo de la Sobera, next to the Manjanares River, it is part of the architectural complex of the historic municipal slaughterhouse and livestock market. Modeled after the greenhouses of Vienna or London, it was designed and built between 1908 and 1928 by architect Don Luis Bellito y González. Its current appearance, in a very industrial style, is due to a restoration carried out in 1992.

Known as Potato Ship It has a central level and is distributed in four closed spaces representing different microclimates. There are four types of vegetation in this place: two tropical, one subtropical and one desert.

Tropical: There are two environments dedicated to plants native to tropical regions where plant growth does not stop even in winter. A tropical moist forest has an enormous diversity of flora. Specimens of each species are found widely throughout the forest. The design of trees, shrubs and flowers in the Palacio de Cristal de la Argenzuela: Greenhouse has a specific function to achieve the colonization of the space leading to pollination and the co-evolution of species.

On a walk through tropical environments, on a smaller scale, you will find various flower beds, where you can recreate different layers of ground cover plants, shrubs and trees, climbing plants or epiphytes. Between the two tropical environments, there are more than 300 plant species, with more than 80 new species recovered in recent years.

Subtropical: Regeneration of a typical humid subtropical forest in Madrid, characterized by the mixing of deciduous forests typical of temperate regions with species that better tolerate the cold of tropical forests. On the path through this environment, you can see species of trees that lose their leaves in winter and have species Laurifolius Coriaceous, with large and oval leaves. Over the years, new plants have been introduced such as kumquat (dwarf orange tree), limes and a small collection of citrus fruits common to this microclimate. There are more than 170 plant species in this environment. In addition, it has sheets of water, springs, estuaries and aquariums rich in fish from various habitats.

Desert: Cactuses and succulents are plants that don’t need a lot of water to survive in this environment, and some species can even tolerate low temperatures. It also contains plants from both the American and African continents. The two polished plateaus have smaller, more delicate vegetation and some cadiciform vegetation, with thick stem water reserves. With recent expansion, there are more than 430 species.

Science with touches of color and different scents

The next green space of these characteristics should be created The Rose Garden of Madrid, Also known as Ramon Ortiz in 1955 at Parque del Este. It was named after Ramón Ortiz, director of parks and gardens in Madrid at the time. It is one of the most exceptional rose gardens in the world. Named in 2006 by the Word Federation of Rose Societies Garden Excellence Award.

In total, about 20,000 rose bushes of more than 650 different varieties are planted. Of them, 400 are short, and the rest are climbers, climbers, tall-legged, and so on. Rosaleda de Madrid has representations of the most important varieties of breeders from around the world. Likewise, it serves as a pilot project to see the behavior of rose bushes in our latitudes.

Covering an area of ​​about 32,000 square meters, it is situated on a flat terraced area. One of the interests of Rosaleda de Madrid is that it is conditioned by the means of the time. That is, without the aid of any earth-moving machinery. Every year the Madrid Popular Rose Competition and the Villa de Madrid International New Rose Competition are held with the participation of rose bushes from all over the world.

Cold Oven Juan Carlos I Park

Juan Carlos I Park’s Cold Stove It is located in the center of the park of the same name and its construction dates back to 1996. A cold oven is a semi-enclosed system using passive heating systems to achieve a microclimate. Thanks to its orientation, the use of glass panels and some burial, natural ventilation is achieved.

With a rectangular base, its surface area is 4,000 m2 and its height is 12 meters. In 2008, a botanical collection of exotic plants was created with 220 species and varieties forming an artificial botanical trail in the park.

It has a total of twelve different locations:

1. He Japanese garden It occupies an interior patio between the building and the cold oven greenhouse. It contains all the elements of the Buddhist school in the form of ponds, stone blocks, gravel and wood. It is a place of bamboo, maples and flowering shrubs.
2. In the enclosure pond you can see various species Aquatic plantsIncluding the late summer blooming papyrus.
3. on land allotted to Bamboo And arranged by isolated gardeners, there are many varieties of these species. Some: giant, yellow, black and hanging bamboo.
4. block of Succulent or Krasa It is located at the top of the greenhouse. There is a footpath to this area.
5. There is a place in the center Cycads and palms.
6. This section also has a dedicated section Acidic. Camellias, rhododendrons, azaleas, hydrangeas and heather stand out among the species grown in soils with an acidic pH.
7. Various types Citrus.
8. In the dedicated space Riverine forestA plant formation attached to the banks of rivers.
9. A low light location is intended in the enclosure Ferns First Philicapsida No light required.
10. There is one outside Own plant gardenMediterranean climate.
11. The Climbing garden It covers part of the walls and columns of the enclosure.
12. Los Medals Complete the vegetable offering of the cold oven of Park Juan Carlos I.

Pradolongo and San Francisco El Grande Gardens

Botany is the science that deals with plants. He Pradolongo Garden It was an oasis that never left Yusara. Facing the lake, more than 8,000 square meters of squares and flower beds are distributed. The main species found there have botanical records with their descriptions.

For his part, That of St. Francis the Great It has an area of ​​4,200 square meters. It stands on the remains of an old convent of the same name that was demolished in the mid-20th century. No use till 2007. That year, the Madrid City Council transformed the site into a dahlia-themed garden, the old Dalida de San Francisco.

At present, the rose plants have grown. The composition of the plants was modified because the latter were adapted to Madrid’s climate and capable of more flowering. Currently, the San Francisco El Grande Garden has 21 varieties of rose bushes that delight visitors in May and June with maximum splendor. Its another attraction is a view where you can enjoy the beautiful sunset of the capital city.

Madrid, in addition to five rose gardens and botanical collections for the enjoyment of citizens and visitors Over 6,000 hectares of green spaces Where to experience the nature that makes the capital unique. You can also advise Vegetation of the capital Y This map of GeoPortal It helps to know the vegetation types district wise.