Exclusive pictures of a flagship patio in the urban agricultural movement in the Ranchuelo municipality, Villa Clara.
Photo Feature by Didier Cruz Fernandez
HAVANA TIMES – We hope you enjoy these pictures thanks to the Periodismo de Barrio website.
Esther Marina del Sol Viamonte owns this property, which, with Lisvany Garcia Diaz’s crucial help (a young man who graduated in visual arts but is a botanist by passion), they manage to self-finance and earn something from by selling plant species.The garden is located on Km 1 of the highway that travels to San Juan de los Yeras, in Ranchuelo, Villa Clara.The project has been running for 38 years, it has a total of approximately 3086 plant species, 435 of which are orchids, 955 are cactus’, 476 are succulents, 125 are ferns and another 1095 kinds.Officially called the “Patio Las Orquideas”, this garden directly collaborates with the University of Matanzas’ botanical garden.It also sometimes collaborates with the National Botanical Garden and with its counterpart in Cienfuegos.They hold an agro-ecological certificate and are members of ACTAF (The Cuban Association of Agricultural and Forestry Engineers.They are also authorized by the responsible bodies to look after endangered species such as the Cuban gar.Zunzun nestOne of the smallest species of orchids in the world called the Bird’s nest orchid.Desert Rose, plant native to Madagascar.