Guatemala has been called the land of eternal spring, so it’s no surprise that this garden explodes with color.
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Transcript:
Hey there, Garden Lovers,
Today is February 8, and this is A Garden A Day with Mædunbroc Gardens.
Thank you for listening.
Guatemala has been called the land of eternal spring, so it’s no surprise that today’s garden explodes with color.
Where are we? Today, we are exploring the rose gardens (yes, gardens plural, there are three) at Hotel Atitlán in Panajachel, Guatemala.
The town of Panajachel, or just Pana for short, is located in the Guatemala Highlands in the Sierra Madre mountains on the shore of Lake Atitlán.
The town is a popular tourist destination and launching point for activities on the lake. The surrounding areas take influence from the Maya culture, and it is quite common to hear Mayan languages spoken there.
The surrounding areas are agricultural. Coffee and avocado orchards are plentiful as well as farms growing corn, onions, beans, squash, tomatoes, cucumbers, garlic, chili peppers, strawberries, and dragon fruit.
It is on a former coffee plantation that today’s garden now grows. Owner Arturo Rivera inherited his parents’ coffee plantation on Lake Atitlán and decided to build a hotel on the property.
The first part of Hotel Atitlán was finished in December 1971 with the lobby, a restaurant and bar, and fourteen guest rooms. The second part of the hotel was finished in 1974 adding twenty-nine more rooms, and a final wing was completed in 1992 adding twenty-two more rooms.
The hotel is only three stories tall and was designed to masterfully blend in with the natural scenery.
From the very beginning, Arturo’s wife, Susan, wanted to plant a botanical garden on the property.
The garden begins at the hotel’s entrance and winds through the grounds making its way all the way down to the lake.
Lake Atitlán is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. German explorer and naturalist Alexander von Humboldt called it “the most beautiful lake in the world,” and author and philosopher Aldous Huxley after admiring its beauty wrote that “it really is too much of a good thing.” He meant that as a compliment.
Lake Atitlán is the deepest lake in Central America and spans fifty square miles. The lake is fed by two rivers and does not drain to the ocean. It is shaped by three volcanos to its south that add to the gorgeous view and provides the backdrop for the gardens at Hotel Atitlán.
The hotel maintains three rose gardens — an Antique Rose Garden, a Modern Rose Garden, and a David Austin Rose Garden. There are more than 200 varieties of roses in the gardens including heirloom roses ‘Madame Hardy’ and ‘Rosa Mundi’ and modern roses ‘Queen Elizabeth’ and ‘Mr. Lincoln’. Many of the heirloom roses date back to the 18th century and are loved for their strong fragrance and delicate colors.
The hotel gardens include more than just roses. There are over 500 species from 250 plant families including 50 varieties of hibiscus, 25 colors of bougainvillea, a variety of orchids, and an azalea garden.
There are also fuscias, bottlebrush, amaryllis, amaranth, Peruvian lily, a Tropical Heliconia Garden, English-style knot gardens, a wedding garden, and a coffee garden.
The flowers bloom in an array of vibrant colors that compliment the local wildlife. Expect to see ducks, hummingbirds, and a resident macaw.
The best time to visit is now. Guatemala experiences two seasons — wet season and dry season. Dry season is winter — from November to April. Temperatures are milder and flowers are in bloom. Wet season runs from May to October, but the worst months tend to be June, July, and August. During those months, expect a daily afternoon rain shower and even some serious thunderstorms.
I’ve included a link to the hotel’s website in the notes, so you can plan your visit.
Well, that’s about it for today. I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s garden.
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.
As a reminder, you can learn more about the gardens featured on A Garden a Day by clicking on the links in the notes or by visiting our website, agardenaday.com.
And 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 do appreciate your support.
If all goes well, I will be right back here tomorrow. See you then!
To learn more about Hotel Atitlán, check out these links:
https://www.hotelatitlan.com/adventures/our-gardens
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/atitlan-antique-rose-garden
https://www.lostworld.com/destinations/guatemala/lake-atitlan/hotel-atitlan/
https://routinelynomadic.com/panajachel-guatemala/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Atitlán
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