Ajuda Botanical Garden Plant List

Ajuda Botanical Garden is located in Lisbon, Portugal. This botanical garden was established in 1768 as part of the Ajuda Palace. Italian botanist Domingos Vandelli designed the layout of the garden. The Ajuda Botanical Garden hosts an ancient dragon tree, a fern hothouse and terraces. Formal hedges wrap around the garden and a large, elegant fountain splashes into a central pool. The garden overlooks the River Tagus as it winds through Lisbon. The garden is full of plants collected from around the world.

Welsh Onions

Welsh onions (Allium fistulosum) are also known as green onions and scallions. This bunching onion grows as an evergreen perennial up to 2 feet tall in 1 foot clumps. The leaves are hollow and filled with air. The bulbs are not much thicker than the stem and do not form onion bulbs. After cold weather exposure, the Welsh onion produces a long hollow flower stalk with tiny greenish-white flowers on the end. The flower clusters are 1 to 3 inches in diameter.

Bougainvillea

Bougainvillea (Bougainvillea glabra) is a cascading shrub grown in the botanical garden. The bougainvillea is trained up a trellis, but it must be tied since it does not cling with tendrils. This evergreen grows 40 feet tall in areas that do not freeze. Its normal height is 10 to 12 feet tall and 8 feet wide if pruned in the home garden. Bougainvillea grows leaves that are 4 inches long. Blossoms of red, hot pink, purple, yellow, gold and white appear in the spring and then again in the fall. The bougainvillea is a thorny shrub.

Madagascar Butterfly Bush

The Madagascar butterfly bush (Buddleja madagascariensis) is also known as the smoke bush. It is a sprawling shrub that grows 6 to 10 feet tall. It produces orange-yellow flowers on velvety stems. The leaves are 2 1/2 to 5 inches long with the tops smooth and the undersides velvety with tiny silver hairs. The flower spikes are at the end of the branches. White fruit appears after blooming then turns bluish-purple as they age.

Cape Honeysuckle

Cape honeysuckle (Tecomaria capensis) is also grown in the Ajuda Botanical garden. This bush or large vine grows 3 to 5 feet tall and spread to 6 feet wide. As an evergreen vine with support, it can reach the height of 20 to 30 feet. It produces dark green glossy leaves and clusters of trumpet-shaped orange or red-orange flowers 2 inches in size. The Cape honeysuckle blooms in November to January. This vine is damaged at 28 degrees F. if exposed to the cold winter temperatures.