Desert City | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Type | Botanical garden |
Location | San Sebastián de los Reyes, Community of Madrid Spain. |
Nearest town | Fuente del Fresno | , Madrid
Coordinates | 40°35′56″N 3°34′56.6″W / 40.59889°N 3.582389°W |
Area | 16,000 metres (52,000 ft) nursery and 6,000 metres (20,000 ft) botanical garden |
Created | April 28, 2017 |
Owned by | private |
Operated by | private |
Status | Open all year |
Website | desertcity |
Desert City is a plant nursery and botanical garden in San Sebastián de los Reyes, near Madrid, Spain, that cultivates and sells xerophytic plants, including cacti, succulents and native plants from the Mediterranean region.[1] It is Europe's largest cactus garden.[2][3] Desert City was founded by Jacobo García-Germán, an architect, and Mercedes García, a former pharmaceuticals executive.[4]
The biotechnological nursery specializes in xeriscaping[5] and research and cultivation of cacti and other xerophytic plants.
The garden has a size of 6,000 square metres (65,000 sq ft) and combines plants of the natural landscapes of the arid and semi-arid areas of the planet (such as cacti), with native plants from the Mediterranean climate, like lavender, rosemary and others. Its collection includes over 600 species, ranging in size from plants such as the Blossfeldia liliputana (12–16 millimetres (0.47–0.63 in) high) to the Saguaro (50 feet (15 m) high).[6]
The garden is divided into 5 main thematic areas:[1]