Garden Tours in Portugal: The spectacle of the blooming Camellia
The period from January to March is the perfect time of the year to join a garden tour in Portugal and enjoy the spectacle of the blooming Camellia. This exotic botanical species is incredibly well suited to the conditions of the Atlantic climate, and an absolute must-see of handpicked garden tours in Portugal. Did you know that Portugal is said to provide the best climatic and soil conditions for Camellia in all Europe? No wonder that Camellia is such an important part of Portuguese garden culture.
Flowering from North to South: discovering the Camellia in Garden Tours in Portugal
Most Camellia can be found in the North of Portugal, although the region around Lisbon, the South and the islands, are also welcoming to this marvelous species. Garden tours in Portugal are always an occasion to discover the charms of the Portuguese Camellia, displayed in different colors and landscape configurations. Whether it is in the historic gardens of the North or the romantic 19th century landscapes of Sintra these fabulous flowers are the protagonists of some of the most magical garden tours in Portugal.
Discovering the history of Camellia in garden tours in Portugal
There are 376 Portuguese varieties of Camellia, all of them to be seen in garden tours in Portugal. Most of these varieties were obtained in the 19th century. This blooming wonder can be fully grasped in garden tours in Portugal. Since 1880, Porto is known as the “city of camellia”, as these flowers are literally everywhere, in gardens and peeping out of walls. Although officially the first camellia, arrived in Porto around 1808, they are represented in Portuguese decorative arts as early as in the 17th century. Another Camellia collection worth visiting in any serious garden tour in Portugal is monumental Camellia gardens of Casa do Campo, in Celorico de Basto, with its incredible topiary filled with pink camellia brought directly from Japan but also Quinta de Villar d’Allen and Aveleda gardens.
Garden Tours in Portugal: the awarded camellia collections of Sintra and Azores
Garden tours in Portugal present the perfect opportunity to discover and marvel at the country’s lovely and ever surprising Camellia. The beauty and fame of Portuguese Camellia is now known across borders, as the prestigious International Camellia Society has recently awarded two prizes of excellence to two Portuguese gardens noted for their outstanding collections of Camellia. The Parque da Pena, in Sintra, and the Terra Nostra Park, in Azores, two highpoints of garden tours in Portugal, now reach a new level of excellence. At the inspiring Parque da Pena, 2258 camellia of 5 different species can be found, whereas in Azores, at Terra Nostra, the collection gathers over 600 varieties of camellia.
