Barcelona

Barcelona’s ties with roses go back a long way. A good example of this is the international competition held at the Palau de Pedralbes from 1929 to 1936, which the world’s leading rose specialists took part in.
Open cut-rose competitions were held in the park’s rose garden towards the end of the 1980s, but the competition fell into decline after its initial success.
The current Barcelona International New Roses Competition, which was launched at the start of the 21st century, is the successor to this very noteworthy historical past.
It was first held in 2001 and has since become a great showcase for new creations from around the world, enabling the city to renew and strengthen its ties with roses.

Obtaining a new rose is no mean feat, which is why the Barcelona competition is so important. New plants, created from hybrids and artificial selection have to be developed and, over time, display some outstanding features. It may take a number of years before a variety is achieved with sufficient quality for entering competitions and, where successful, marketing.

The Cervantes Park plants are vigorous, luxuriant and quite simply spectacular, with large trees that shape the landscape and steal the show. In fact, the park is its trees, which rise up over the grass parterres ornamented with large masses of shrubs, notably the oleanders
(Nerium oleander).
A row of Siberian elms
(Ulmus pumila) form a protective border on the park’s long facade running parallel to Av la Diagonal, while the part near Carretera d’Esplugues is remarkable for its tipu trees (Tipuana tipu) and four magnificent lime trees (Tilia europaea), two species also found other parts of the park. The large central gravelled square is dominated by pink siris (Albizia julibrissin), with a parterre containing large oaks (Quercus ilex) on one side of the square.
There are also stone pines (Pinus pinea), very tall Aleppo pines
(Pinus halepensis) with powerful crowns, large Himalayan cedars (Cedrus deodara), cypresses (Cupressus sempervirens), smooth American cypresses
(Cupressus glabra ‘Glauca’) and Monterey cypresses
(Cupressus macrocarpa).
Olive trees (Olea europaea), which form a group at the tip of the spearhead created by the park at the junction of Av Diagonal and Carretera d’Esplugues, black locusts
(Robinia pseudoacacia), peppercorn trees (Schinus molle), Indian bead trees (Melia azaderach) and horse chestnuts
(Aesculus hippocastanum), as well as several specimens of incense cedar (Calocedrus decurrens) and cockspur coral trees (Erythrina crista-galli) are among the other notable tree species ( 27 in all) found in the park.

The rose collection

This is the jewel in the park’s crown. The rose garden has close to 10,000 rose bushes made up of some 2,000 species and different varieties, which can produce at least 150,000 roses at the height of the flowering season between May and July.
A circular botanical route round the entire rose garden allows visitors to travel to Asia, the Middle East, Europe and America through the rose bushes. There are parterres dedicated to wild species, grouped according to their country of origin, and others dedicated to the ancient hybrid rose bushes obtained before 1876 and which had already been cultivated by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. There are also parterres dedicated to modern hybrids, first created at the end of the 19th century, and subsequently to tea-rose bushes.
The ancient hybrids are grouped according to their genetic provenance: Rosa gallica, Rosa X centifolia, Rosa X alba, Rosa moschata, Rosa rugosa, Rosa pimpinellifolia and Rosa chinensis hybrids, and Bourbon, Noisette and tea-rose hybrids and hybrid perpetuals. As for modern hybrids, these are grouped according to the person who obtained them, such as the Dot, Meilland, Kordes, Harkness, Austin, Lens, Poulsen, Dickson, Tantau, Guillot and Barni rose bushes, to name but a few.
This area of the park is rich in tree species and there are also fruit trees to keep company with the rose bushes, including oriental cherry trees (Prunus serrulata), common pear trees (Pyrus communis), persimmon trees
(Diospyros kaki), apple trees (Pyrus malus), quince
trees (Cydonia oblonga), cherry plum trees (Prunus cerasifera) and jujube trees (Ziziphus jujuba). There are also a large number of aromatic plants, grasses, perennials, irises and flowering shrubs, which mark out and decorate the edges of the parterres.
The lower part of the rose garden, close to Av Diagonal, has a small wood made up of Aleppo pine trees (Pinus halepensis), large specimens of lime trees (Tilia europaea) and Himalayan cedars (Cedrus deodara) as well as a row of olive trees (Olea europaea). Several areas of the garden have magnificent specimens of incense cedars (Calocedrus decurrens), tall date palms (Phoenix dactylifera), patas de vacas (Bauhinia grandiflora), European yew trees (Taxus baccata), cypresses
(Cupressus sempervirens and Cupressus macrocarpa), Siberian elm trees (Ulmus pumila) and oleasters (Elaeagnus angustifolia). An enormous oak (Quercus ilex) and an ombu (Phytolacca dioica) with wide branches also stand out.

The Parc de Cervantes has two monoliths, one of stone dedicated to the writer and diplomat Àngel Ganivet that was created by the sculptor Jaume Monràs, and the other made in marble, in homage to Concha Espina, by Juan Díaz de la Campa, featuring a bronze medallion with a picture of the writer at the top.
The rose garden has two sculptures: Rombes bessons (Rhombus Twins – 1977), by Andreu Alfaro, a geometric work near the upper part of the rose garden, and a female nude opposite the perfume garden, entitled Serenitat (Serenity – 1964) by Eulàlia Fàbregas de Sentmenat.
Near the centre of the park there is an immense gravelled square exposed to the sun with children’s games, a few table-tennis tables and a fountain. This is an ideal spot for anyone who wants to sunbathe during the summer or make the most of the winter sunshine. There is also a picnic area nearby, shaded by a pine tree that is often used for Tai-Chi.

A sea of roses inundates four hectares at one end of Parc de Cervantes, from the start of spring to the arrival of autumn. This is the rose garden, which boasts an exceptional collection of over 10,000 rose bushes.
If you start your visit from Ronda de Dalt, the first thing you will find is a large, semicircular pergola overflowing with climbing rose bushes made up of 233 different varieties. This is a shaded place, with benches to sit on and contemplate not just the rose garden but also the magnificent view of Barcelona.
The rose garden parterres are neatly arranged and surrounded by fleshy grass that personalises the rose bushes, making them easier to approach. Small arcades of trunks adorned with climber rose bushes invite visitors to enter and, very subtly, imply there is no need, when strolling around this garden, to just follow the well marked out, delicate, gravelled paths they will also come across but above all, the grass paths, which will allow them intimacy with the roses.

The perfume garden

At the main entrance on Av Diagonal, visitors are welcomed by a space dedicated to rose bushes, which stand out for the aroma of their flowers. There are 235 varieties of roses here and there is no need to get close to smell their perfumes, an exquisite aroma that accompanies your throughout your visit.