The collection presented by the Mossèn Costa i Llobera Gardens is considered one of the most important in the succulent plant world. Classifications aside, this garden of arid plants, little given to dalliance, has the capacity to dazzle the visitor with its great quantity and variety of cacti and tropical plants.
This garden is not anything like urban gardens, nor the other gardens found in the city. It does not have children's play areas or dog runs, but it does not need them. Its views over the sea and its own vision are enough. More than a green space to relax in, read in the open air or play, it is a museum to visit that will surprise you with the great variety of shapes and sizes that these fleshy, water retaining plants can adopt.The layout of the garden is perfect for gazing at groups of plants. Its sloped topography is sectioned off by paths that run parallel to the elevation of the land and are joined by short stairways and changing directions. MAP IT
History The gardens were created at the end of the sixties, they are located in a space that was once occupied by anti-air batteries.
The gardens have been dedicated to collecting and exhibiting cacti and other succulent and tropical plants from the beginning, as its orientation (Miramar area, south east) and slope favour this type of plant life. In the thirties there were some old plantations in the area that were dedicated to these plants and that served as an example and driving force to later create the garden. At the height of its splendour, the garden held up to 800 different species.
The initial spirit of the garden's aesthetics and the distribution of the species with a decorative order were recovered during a restoration carried out in 2006 and 2007. In some cases, species were recovered, such as the Oreocereus neocelsianus. Likewise, new plants are being incorporated that did not exist before, such as the Xanthorrhoea and Floss Silk trees (Chorisia speciosa).
The gardens pay homage to the poet Miquel Costa i Llobera with the sculpture L'au dels temporals by Ros i Bofarull; to the professor Joan Pañella with a monolith by Txell Duran; and to local tradition with the realist bronze figure La puntaire by Viladomat.
Vegetation
The southeastern orientation, facing the sea, creates a microclimate that enables having a great diversity of woodlands and shrubbery that cannot be found in other areas of Barcelona, as is the case with the Ficus (Ficus sp), Whiteflower Kurrajong (Brachychiton populneus), Australian Silver-Oak (Grevillea robusta), Bauhinia grandiflora, etc. It also enables the presence of many sub-tropical succulent plants, among which there is an important collection of cacti of all shapes and sizes: tall columns, globe-shaped, straight, inclined, lone and grouped together. Each one flowers following its biological cycle, with individual colours and shapes. In addition, the gardens have a collection of Mediterranean and acclimatised plants such as Carob trees (Ceratonia siliqua) and Olive trees (Olea europaea). Palm tree species are also quite notable.
Back to : Montjuic Tour
Source : Garden web site
