Hijuela del Botánico

The Hijuela del Botánico occupies the former orchard of the San José convent, right behind La Orotava town hall on Calle Tomás Pérez. According to Turismo de Tenerife, its origins go back to 1788, when Alfonso de Nava y Grimón, 6th Marquis of Villanueva del Prado, set it up as an auxiliary nursery for the La Orotava Acclimatisation Garden, today the Botanical Garden of Puerto de la Cruz: species were acclimatised here before being moved. The garden as it looks today was opened in 1910 for the visit of Infanta Isabel de Borbón, and its wrought-iron gate dates from that year, according to the town hall itself.

Its 3,390 square metres (municipal figure; Turismo de Tenerife rounds it to 4,000) hold trees and plants from every continent, including a dragon tree, horse chestnuts, flame trees and bunya pines. It was declared a Historic Garden in 1994 and a Site of Cultural Interest, in the Artistic Garden category, in 2007. Admission is free. Turismo de Tenerife gives opening hours of 9:00 to 14:00 all year round; the town hall publishes no hours on its website, so it is worth confirming, for instance with the Parks and Gardens Service (922 33 00 50). We do not yet have our own photographs of the site.