Fortaleza
It's easy to see the Spanish influences that color the city of San Juan, Puerto Rico, influences that extend to the gardens of Fortaleza. Originally a 14th-century fortress, Fortaleza is now Puerto Rico's seat of government and the governor's home. Remodelled in 1846 in the neoclassical style, the garden echoes the structure with formal symmetry. Both were constructed at the request of Queen Isabella II of Spain. Original brick and colored tile from Spain accent the sunken garden while bromeliads lend color. Salt from the ocean and jasmine combine to produce a heady and unique perfume.
Botanica Jardin
It's not unusual to hear visitors ask "Que es esto?" (What is that?) while wandering the 300 acres of Botanica Jardin. Owned by the University of Puerto Rico, it's virtually the only large tract of land left untouched in San Juan, and today it's a botanical paradise. The grounds include a modern art field and a fountain meadow, but the star attraction is the Monet garden. A bamboo tunnel shades visitors as they approach the garden. Once into the sunshine, sunlight and color bombard sightseers. Although the aim is to capture the palette of a Monet painting, horticulturists achieve the effect by using exotic plants such as purple pickerelweeds and Egyptian papyrus.
Serralles
Forty miles south of San Juan lies the smaller town of Ponce, named after famed explorer Ponce de Leon, and perched high on a hillside there is the Serralles castle. Built in the early 1930s, the formal Spanish-style house was the home of the Serralles family, producers of Don Q rum and owners of a vast sugar plantation. And the gardens surrounding their private estate are just as impressive. Steps lead to the various levels of the terraced garden on this very steep hill. Bougainvillea frames the castle. Flowering ixora hedges echo the design of the wrought iron fencing. And a guanacaste tree (Enterolobium cyclocarpum) planted by the Serralles family stands sentinel over this elegant garden paradise.
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