This garden belongs to the house that rum built.
Visit us at maedunbroc.com
Music by Jason Shaw at AudionautiX
Featured image courtesy of Museo Castillo Serrallés
Transcript:
Hello Listeners,
Today is February 3, and this is A Garden A Day with Mædunbroc Gardens.
Thank you for listening.
Today’s garden sits on two and a half meticulously manicured acres and belongs to the house that rum built. So where are we?
Today, we are exploring the gardens at Castillo Serrallés in Ponce, Puerto Rico.
High atop a hill with sweeping views of the city of Ponce, sits a four-story concrete castle built in the 1930s for the wealthy and prosperous Serrallés family, owners of the rum distillery making Puerto Rico’s famous Don Q rum.
The Serrallés family migrated from Spain a hundred years earlier in 1830 and began growing and producing sugar cane. They opened their first rum distillery in 1865, making several different rums under different brand names through the years. Each brand was short-lived until they developed a higher quality rum in 1932 — rum that would become Puerto Rico’s most famous rum — Don Q.
It looks like we have another unintended theme starting for our garden explorations. I realized a few episodes back that we have a few gardens built in the 1930s. This time the theme is sugar plantation or at least the sugar industry. We have this one, St. George Village Botanical Garden on St. Croix, and the Plantation Crown and Hawk Botanical Garden on St. Thomas. If you haven’t listened to those episodes, yet, go check them out. They were episodes three and four.
The Serrallés sugar cane and distillery operation covered most of the present-day city of Ponce, turning the city into a company town. Much of the city of Ponce was built because of the wealth of the Serrallés family.
They built houses for the workers in the distillery — some of which still stand today and are still owned by descendants of the workers. The Serrallés family also built a rail line and a private airport, which today is the public airport in Ponce.
The family sold the Castillo to the city in the 1980s, and today the former home operates as a museum and a popular venue for weddings and events. Tours are available and include the interior of the castle as well as the gardens. Tours are available in Spanish and English.
The tour includes the history of sugar cane and rum production and its effect on the economy of Puerto Rico. Most of the tour centers around the house and gardens and reveals the daily lives of the islands most influential family.
European influences on the architecture and garden are evident. The home was built in the Spanish Colonial Revival style that was popular in the 1930s. Many of the furnishings on display are original with many antique and handcrafted items on view.
Outside, the natural Caribbean Sea breeze keeps the atmosphere cool and pleasant. The lawn is highly manicured with tropical flowers, including orchids, and fountains.
The lawn is dotted with shrubbery planted and clipped to form the shapes of flowers and other decorative designs.
A large swimming pool centered on the terrace is surrounded by statues in a formal garden design. The terrace provides a stunning view of the city below.
The Japanese Garden provides a relaxing, peaceful retreat. With red bridges crossing streams, a koi pond, a collection of bonsai, benches, and pagodas for rest, the garden is a delight and a must-see for visitors to Ponce.
The Mariposario or Butterfly Garden is a closed space where several species of tropical butterfly coexist. An ideal eco-system filled with host plants and food plants for the various species of butterflies was created with ideal conditions similar to their natural habitat. These conditions allow the butterflies to comfortably live, feed, and mate.
A visit to the butterfly house also includes a tour of the lab that shows the life cycle of a butterfly from egg to adult. The Butterfly House provides a quiet, tranquil environment for visitors.
The museum hosts events throughout the year including art exhibitions and concerts and has become a popular spot for destination weddings.
Castillo Serrallés is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and on the Puerto Rico Register of Historic Sites and Zones.
Well, that’s about it for today.
Thank you so much for listening. Join me tomorrow to find out where we are going next. I release a new episode every single day.
If you like A Garden a Day, and I hope you do, please consider liking, subscribing, and telling your friends. If you are able, please also consider giving us a five-star review. It lets me know you like the show, and it also helps others find the podcast. I really appreciate your support.
If all goes well, I will be right back here tomorrow. See you then!
To learn more about Castillo Serrallés, check out these links:
https://museocastilloserrallespr.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castillo_Serrallés
https://www.discoverpuertorico.com/profile/castillo-serralles/8545
https://www.puertoricodaytrips.com/serralles-castle-in-ponce/
https://www.uncommoncaribbean.com/puerto-rico/castillo-serralles-puerto-rico/
https://www.puertoricotravel.guide/attractions/museums/castillo-serralles-museum/
https://www.discoveringpuertorico.com/castillo-serralles/
https://puertoricothingstodo.com/castillo-serrales-ponce-puerto-rico/
https://jentheredonethat.com/castillo-serralles/
https://visitponce.com/projects/castillo-serralles/
https://puertorico.com.pr/castillo-serralles/
https://whichmuseum.com/museum/serralles-castle-museum-ponce-20398
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