Soutomaior Castle Park

Garden Overview

The Soutomaior Botanic Park in Pontevedra is part of a historic property with a castle dating back to the 12th century. The botanic park, created in the 19th century, has an area of 6 hectares, and contains more than four hundred plants of camellias belonging to 25 species, as well as other singular trees such as millennial chestnuts and ancient sequoias, araucarias, chamaecyparis, azaleas and oaks.

Our Camellias

When the Soutomaior Castle was acquired old Camellia tree by the Pontevedra provincial government in 1982, it already had 19 Camellia japonica specimens dating from the 19th century which are among the first planted in Spain. Then the collection was enlarged and now the garden has 490 camellia plants belonging to 20 different species, including 234 cultivars of C. japonica, 18 cultivars of C. reticulata, 19 of C. sasanqua or 28 cultivars of C x hybrid.

The Garden of Camellias with a Woman's Name was created in March 2020, some cultivars are well-known and others have been recently obtained camellias that recognise the work of women who were pioneers in the fields of science, art, history and society, ahead of their time and, above all, advocates of women's rights. Each specimen bears a label with the name of the species and the cultivar, and a QR code that provides access to detailed botanical information about the plant and a brief description of the work carried out by the woman after whom they were named.

All these camellia specimens have been correctly labeled and their location is indicated in several maps placed all around the garden area.

A camellia database including the most relevant plant species of the garden and its camellias has been created and can be consulted by anyone interested. The garden also has a library with information about the garden and its camellias. Guided visits are provided on request.

If you want to relax and enjoy the peace and magnificence of the place and its camellias you can stay at the beautiful hotel inside the property.

Plan with AREAS