Jardín de Cactus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jardín de Cactus |
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| Type | cactus garden |
| Location | Canary Islands, Spain |
The Jardín de Cactus is a super cool garden filled with cacti! You can find it on the island of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands, which are part of Spain. This special garden is in the village of Guatiza.
It was built inside an old quarry. A quarry is a place where people dig out rocks or sand. Here, they used to dig out volcanic sand called "picón" or "rofe." This sand was then spread on farms to help the soil hold water. Farmers in this area also grow prickly pear plants. These plants are home to tiny insects called cochineal. People use these insects to make a natural red dye called carmine.
History of the Cactus Garden
The Jardín de Cactus opened in 1991. It was the very last big project by a famous artist and architect named César Manrique. He was from Lanzarote and designed many amazing places on the island.
A botanist named Estanislao González Ferrer helped choose and plant all the different cacti. A botanist is a scientist who studies plants. Today, the garden has about 4,500 plants! These plants belong to 450 different types of cacti and other succulents. They come from places all over the world, like North America, South America, Madagascar, and other dry, desert areas.
The garden is shaped like a giant amphitheater. An amphitheater is a round or oval open-air theater with rising rows of seats. Here, the plants are arranged on different levels, like terraces. At the very top of the garden, you can see a restored windmill. This windmill used to grind grain to make a local food called gofio.
See also
- Desert City
- Mossèn Costa i Llobera Gardens
