Jardim José do Canto

In the heart of Ponta Delgada, the Jardim José do Canto is a Victorian botanical garden of gravel paths, lawns and enormous trees. Created in the nineteenth century by the Azorean landowner and botanist whose name it bears, it is one of the oldest and richest gardens of the archipelago.

History and character

José do Canto, a cultivated landowner and promoter of new species, began the garden in the 1840s on family land beside the old chapel of Santana, with a design commissioned from the London architect David Mocatta. The garden he created became a great arboretum of acclimatisation, and it is now managed by a foundation dedicated to its preservation.

What to see

• The giant trees and palms, some of them planted in the nineteenth century.
• The camellias and flowering shrubs of the Victorian beds.
• The lawns, paths and water features of the English-style layout.
• The garden’s setting, a green island in the middle of the city.

Best time to visit

The Azorean climate keeps the garden green all year; camellias and other flowering species are at their best from winter into spring, while summer shows the garden in full leaf.

Nearby

The garden is a short walk from the centre of Ponta Delgada and its Mercado da Graça.

Visiting

The garden is in central Ponta Delgada, on São Miguel, reached on foot from the city centre. It is open to visitors at set hours; check the garden’s official page before your visit.

Information: josedocanto.com.

Image credit: Jardim José do Canto, Ponta Delgada, by Vitor Oliveira, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.