Montjuïc Mossen Costa i Llobera Cactus Garden near Miramar

About Montjuïc Cactus Garden

The Mossèn Costa i Llobera Gardens, Jardins de Mossèn Costa i Llobera, more commonly known as Barcelona Cactus Gardens are 3.16 hectares of some of the most exotic Cactus species on the planet, species that we can find in sub-desert, desert, tropical areas and in high mountain areas.

Barcelona Cactus Gardens History

The Mossèn Costa i Llobera Gardens (Montjuïc Cactus Gardens) in Barcelona, were inaugurated March 1970 and have been recently refurbished with additional access gates from caraterra Miramar. The refurbishment was to fix the structural consolidation of the space and the replanting of a large part of the plants that had been victims of the cold.

The winters of 1985 and 1987 were particularly cold with frost. Climatic obstacles that meant a significant reduction in the number of species. When the space opened in the early 1970s, about eight hundred different species grew there. In the winter of 1985, for about a week, the city recorded temperatures of six degrees below zero on a sustained basis. The second frost, that of 1987, was a new blow, which was deadly for many of the plants and reduced their variety by almost 40%. It also caused the sudden death of many of those who had been resting after the first frost two years earlier.

The Jardins de Mossèn Costa i Llobera are a joint project between architect Joaquim Maria Casamor i d'Espona (architect and landscaper) and Joan Pañella i Bonastre (Teacher and specialist at the gardening school).

It had been several years since work was being done to plan the adaptation of these species to the city. When the option of arranging the Montjuïc area where the gardens are located today was considered, there was already a significant collection of species from the Canary Islands, Andalusia and other nurseries in Mediterranean cities. Some plants from the Pallanca collection from Italy had also arrived.

Visiting Montjuïc Cactus Garden

Species in the Montjuic Cactus garden (Jardins de Mossèn Costa i Llobera):
• Aloe (Aloe ferox)


• Crocodile teeth (Aloe brevifolia)


• South African, Mexican Cylindropuntia rosea, African azoaceae, Australian Xanthorrhoea, Euphorbia resinifera from Morocco


• Cereus jamac of large size - barrel cacti -Ferocactus glaucescens of the Mexican state of Queretaro


• large collection of cacti of the genus Echinopsis - Echinopsis santiaguensis, native to South America (Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Bolivia, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay) They grow in sandy and gravel soils, and stand out for the size and beauty of their flowers. They can have a tree or balloon shape and have an especially high floral tube.


• Genus Echinocactus. They are Mexican and southern United States cacti, which have a kind of wool on their upper body. This is where the flowers are born, with a very bright coloration ranging from yellow to purple pink. Its name etymologically evokes sea urchins (echi-nus).


• Astrophytum miryostigma, which owe their name to their starry shape, from which radiate yellow flowers of great beauty.


• Ferocactus, popularly known as barrel cactus. They come from the deserts of California and south California, Arizona, southern Nevada and Mexico. They are cacti that take on the shape of a wine barrel in adulthood.


• Mammillaria. It is one of the most widespread genera, with more than 350 recognized species. They are cacti that grow in the form of tubers. Inside they store the liquid needed to survive. These plants can have a conical, cylindrical, pyramidal or round shape. The Mammillaria are found in Mexico, the southern United States, and the Caribbean. Adult specimens over five meters high. Together, they manage to generate a small forest. These are cactus plants of the genus Euphorbia. We can see specimens of Euphorbia in tropical and subtropical areas of Africa or Madagascar.


• Dracaena (Dracaena Draco), agave (Agave Americana) or prickly pears or prickly pears (Opuntia Ficus-Indica). A dragon from Mossen Costa i Llobera comes from a private garden in a neighborhood in Barcelona, which he gave to the city.


• Agaves are native to Mexico and have adapted perfectly to the Mediterranean climate until they become part of the landscape of the margins.


• Figs grow spontaneously along the entire Mediterranean coast, but we can also find them in Mexico, Peru and Argentina, which are, in fact, their countries of origin.


• wide variety of trees typical of the Mediterranean climate, such as carob trees (Ceratonia Siliqua), olive trees (Olea Europaea) and shrubs such as Ficus (Ficus sp), bottle trees (Brachychiton Populneus). , Australian oaks (Grevillea Robusta) and cow legs (Bauhinia grandiflora).


• 12 different species of palms such as the Phoenix Dactylifera, the date palm, of the Arecaceae family and native to Arabia and North Africa. Phoenix Canariensis, Washingtonia Filifera and Washingtonia Robusta. In addition, they contain the only native palm species in Europe, the Chamaerops humilis palm.

Mossèn Costa i Llobera Gardens Opening Hours

• November 1st to March 31st: 10:00h to 19:00h
• April 1st to October 30th: 10:00h to 21:00h
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