Photos from continental Europe's most tropical city - Malaga, Spain!

[kylecawazafla]

Visiting continental Europe isn't quite associated with seeing tropical plants, but Malaga, Spain, has a unique microclimate where it's protected from the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the north and moderated by the Mediterranean Sea in the winter preventing freezes, while also having very warm summers contributing to a microclimate that grows plants you wouldn't quite associate with Europe! 

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Roystonea oleracea

Veitchia arecina

 

Ptychosperma elegans

 

Syagrus coronata

 

 

Jubaeopsis caffra

 

Coccothrinax barbadensis

 

[gurugu]

You have three more different species of Roystoneas. Hyophorbes, Gaussian Maya, and a large so on. In fact it is a public botanical garden.

Don't miss "El Molino del Inca " in Torremolinos. A must.

The oldest garden in Málaga is "La Concepción" where you can find over 150 year old Roystoneas regia. It is the best one.

In Benalmádena you can find Parque de la Paloma . They even grow Raphia australis, and many more.

In downtown Málaga you also have " Jardines Pablo Picasso"  with old huge Ficus macrocarpa.

And the small botanical garden at the University. Mostly tropical fruit trees. Even a Kigelia pinnata.

[kylecawazafla]

Thank you for the recommendations! I'll have to check them out next time. 

[Than]

These parts of Spain have so much potential indeed. I believe there are other such zones in Europe, such as Sicily, Malta, Cyprus, Crete... perhaps also my nearby town, Kalamata but the local authorities just don't have such priorities.  Enjoy your trip! If you have time to wander few hours to the east, don't miss the Elche date palm forest.

Ptychosperma seems to love it there; Veitchia arecina though is struggling? Could Málaga be too cold for it?

[iko.]

I hope you’re having/had a great time Spain. The Málaga-Granada coast is pioneer in continental Europe using tropical plants in public gardens. Luckily, the climate is not that bad outside that area and lots of the plants you photographed can also be grown in other places of Andalusia, Valencia, the Balearics, south of Italy,… However, in those other places these plants are often grown in private gardens. Similar applies to tropical fruits. Málaga and Granada have well established orchards, while in Murcia or Valencia is still a small business.