The award winning Palheiro Gardens woos visitors from around the world with an incredibly diverse collection of beautiful sub-tropical flora.
One species in particular is forever associated with the history of the gardens, the camellia.
The 1st Count of Carvalhal, João Esmeraldo, created the Palheiro Estate in 1801 after acquiring a hunting lodge, today the Casa Velha hotel.
The Portuguese nobleman had the grounds surrounding the property landscaped and began importing specimen trees and shrubs from all four corners of the globe to complement indigenous species.
It’s believed the first camellias planted by the count in 1810 were Japanese camellias (Camellia japonica), an ornamental species distinguished by its striped red, pink and white flowers.
Camellias are native to eastern and southern Asia, from the Himalaya east to Korea and Indonesia.
More species were planted at Palheiro over the ensuing years, notably along the estate’s landmark thoroughfare, Camellia Avenue.
At one point, the amounts of camellias in the gardens numbered thousands and were eagerly sought out by visiting botanists and horticulturalists throughout the 1900s. The public too were increasingly enamoured by these exotic trees with their shiny leaves and showy flowers.
After the death of the 2nd Count of Carvalhal in 1888 – who left the house and grounds in considerable neglect – John Burden Blandy purchased the estate. Thus began a new chapter in the history of Palheiro Gardens.
The estate passed through successive generations of the Blandy family and by the 1950s Mildred Blandy, wife of Graham, was dedicating much of her married life tending to the garden.
Among the flora she introduced throughout the ‘50s, ‘60s and 1970s were additional species of camellia, among them Camellia reticulata and Camellia sasanqua. Many trees were planted around the chapel and in an area of the grounds known as Ribeira do Inferno, the oddly named “Hell’s Valley.”
A prize exhibit is the rare and endangered Camellia granthamiana – Grantham’s camellia, from Hong Kong, located near the rose garden.
Today, the fascination with these extraordinary plants endears.
Palheiro Gardens attract around 45,000 visitors a year, with a good many specifically attracted by the camellias, some examples of which are now over 200 years old!
