Vallarta Botanical Gardens

Vallarta Botanical Gardens

The Vallarta Botanical Gardens is a 20-acre (8 ha) botanical garden at 1,300 ft (400 m) above sea level in Cabo Corrientes, Jalisco, Mexico (14 mi [24 km] south of Puerto Vallarta).^[1] The garden was founded in 2004 and has been open to the public since 2005. The collections showcase plants of the Tropical Dry Forest Biome, in which the gardens are located, as well as exotics from around the world.^[2] Orchid conservation and propagation is a major focus of the garden's mission.^[3] These can be found on trees throughout the grounds and in the Holstein Orchid and Vanilla House. Other notable collections include oaks, bromeliads, agaves, cactus and wild palms.^[4] The Vallarta Botanical Gardens actively participates in public environmental education through tours and classes. The Vallarta Botanical Gardens were selected in 2013 as one of the "Top 10 North American Gardens Worth Travelling For" by the North American Garden Tourism Conference's International Tourism Award Jury (a program managed by the Canadian Garden Council.)^[5]

The gardens feature miles of hiking trails both through the native forest and the manicured garden grounds. Visitors are also welcome to swim in the Rio Horcones, the tropical river that borders the property. Bird watchers will find the most birding activity early in the morning or later in the day.

The Vallarta Botanical Gardens are members of the Botanic Gardens Conservation International, Asociación Mexicana de Orquideología, and the American Public Gardens Association. The gardens are registered in Mexico as an Asociación Civil and in the United States as a 501(c)3 non-profit through "Friends of Vallarta Botanical Gardens, A.C."

Garden events

• Flower and Garden Festival (last week of February) - A week of tours, classes, and workshops at the Gardens. Dozens of plant, garden, flower, and local craft vendors feature their products and knowledge.
• Día de Muertos - Day of the Dead (November 2) - A day of honoring the dead in full Mexican Tradition. Marigold--Cempasúchil (Tagetes erecta) flower arrangements are found adorning alters for the departed.

Gallery of plants at garden

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  Cryosophila nana

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  Epidendrum longicuale

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  Magnolia vallartensis

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  Ornithocephalus manabina

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  Sedum perezdelarosae

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  Epidendrum ciliare

See also

• List of botanical gardens

References

1. Price, Bob. "A gift to Mexico," Orchids (The Bulletin of the American Orchid Society), Sept. 2008. p. 678-681.
2. Montes, F. (R. Moore, Ed.) "Cryosophila: a True Survivor." Palms, 2006. p. 5-6.
3. Price, Bob. "A gift to Mexico," Orchids (The Bulletin of the American Orchid Society), Sept. 2008. p. 678-681.
4. Noble, John. et al. Lonely Planet. 2010. p. 456
5. Rhyno, Darcy "Ten North American gardens worth travelling for" www.bbc.com, 17 May 2013

External links

• Official Vallarta Botanical Gardens Website
• Official Vallarta Botanical Gardens' Entry on the Botanic Garden Conservation International (BGCI) Website
• Vallarta Botanical Gardens' Article in Virtual Vallarta's Website

Coordinates: 20°27′57″N 105°17′33″W / 20.4658°N 105.2926°W