Restaurants, bars and museums in Porto · Page 103

Jardim Botânico do Porto

Boavista · Parks & Gardens

Jardim Botânico do Porto stands at Rua do Campo Alegre 1191, 4150-181 Porto, in the Boavista neighbourhood. The University of Porto manages this historic green space, which covers 4 hectares and holds roughly 1,300 plant species. Its character comes from 19th-century romantic landscaping and a rich literary heritage. The grounds descend across three levels, set apart by tall, century-old clipped hedges, water features and distinct botanical zones. The site is the former Quinta do Campo Alegre. It was once owned by the Order of Christ, and João Henrique Andresen Júnior held it between 1895 and 1949. Two great names of Portuguese literature lived there, Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen and Reuben Andresen. In 1949 the Portuguese government bought the estate from the Andresen family, and in 1951 the botanical garden was founded as part of the University of Porto. The state renovated the gardens but kept their original layout and the romantic style of the time they were built. Thanks to its botanical value, its conservation of native and exotic species and its literary side, the garden holds high importance for the city. Today the garden offers a variety of spaces and habitats, including bosquets, formal gardens, a cactus garden and an arboretum. Its collection is organised into groups such as camellias, native plants, cacti and succulents, rhododendrons and conifers. Recent transformations have aimed to promote biodiversity and build a closer relationship with the public. Many features of the original Quinta do Campo Alegre survive, among them clipped hedges of Camellia japonica cultivars, most from the late 19th century. The hedges stretch over 500 metres and include 616 plants more than three metres high, enclosing the formal garden. The garden is linked to the cultivar 'Dona Jane Andresen', a sport of Camellia japonica 'Doutor Balthazar de Mello'. Alfredo Moreira da Silva selected it in 1896, and its name honours the late owner of the quinta. The camellia collection totals 753 plants, 266 cultivars and 26 species. Outdoors, most are C. japonica and C. sasanqua, while the garden is starting to expand the collection with greenhouse-grown C. sinensis, C. azalea, C. semisserrata, C. hongkongensis and C. yunnanensis. The garden opens daily from 09:00 to 18:00, with hours extended to 19:00 from April to October, and it closes on 1 January and 25 December. Access is currently free, and guided visits are possible. The grounds also house the Biodiversity Gallery, a Live Science Centre dedicated to spreading knowledge of biological sciences, evolution and biodiversity, and the E-Learning Café.

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