Botanical Garden - The Story
"For the first time in human history, humans are disconnected from their natural environment and Mother Earth. It's the first era where living in a technological milieu, surrounded by the stimuli of a virtual reality, dominates our spaces, from homes to offices, with gadgets like TVs, computers, and smartphones shaping our lives. It's a time when people visit supermarkets, choose from endless product varieties without knowing their origin or production process, and some even wonder if oranges grow on large trees or bushes, or underground like potatoes.
These thoughts overwhelmed me when in 2003, a wildfire, sparked by a power cable, ravaged the area around the Botanical Park, destroying 150,000 to 200,000 olive trees from the Venetian period. Crete harbors some of the world's oldest olive trees, including the oldest in Vouves, dating back 3,500 years. Yet, in a moment, a whole history, a civilization was turned to ash; the area was utterly devastated, both economically and environmentally."
- Petros Marinakis
Thus, the idea was born to create a Botanical Garden where visitors could connect with nature and explore local and global flora. Spread over approximately 150 acres owned by four siblings, the Botanical Garden of Crete, led by Petros Marinakis, offers an immersive experience in the diversity of plant life.
The Botanical Garden of Crete is now considered one of the most significant botanical gardens in Europe, unique in its kind, with the following characteristics:
- It is the only one specializing in fruit trees, herbs, spices, and medicinal plants.
The Botanical Garden adopts a completely different approach, deviating from the academic gardens typically cultivated in greenhouses. It is a garden where cultivation is carried out naturally, within a forest, embracing permaculture - the concept that everything is recycled, preventing any soil processing, such as soil folding, etc. A small percentage of the fruit trees is left in the ground to enrich the soil's pH and microorganisms. Planting is done on stone walls and terraces. Currently, a unique ecosystem has been created, in absolute harmony and balance, as it was before the use of chemicals and monocultures. Visitors connect with nature, contributing to their psychological boost, visual pleasure, and ultimately their mental uplift and health. It offers a circular route, approximately 2.5 km long, with a 1,250m descent and 1,250m ascent on a spiral path.
- The Botanical Garden of Crete stands out for its unique biodiversity, fully integrated with the region's microclimate and that of Crete.
The Garden is home to plants from three different climate zones: alpine, Mediterranean, and tropical. Despite the lack of winter protection, plants from all three zones coexist. Specifically, in the Chania plain, tropical fruit trees have been grown in recent years (mango, lychee, guava, papaya, etc.) without winter protection. Moving upward, we encounter the Mediterranean zone with numerous olive trees, and starting from 650-700 m, the alpine zone begins. In essence, the Botanical Garden's area combines tropical-temperate, Mediterranean, and alpine zones simultaneously.
This phenomenon is unique and not commonly found globally! It is primarily due to the island's geographical location, as Crete is surrounded by three different continents at equidistant ranges. Moreover, the significant mountain mass of the White Mountains and the consequent water flow throughout the Botanical Park area, combined with increased atmospheric humidity, collectively contribute to the balanced coexistence of the three climate zones, maintaining all conditions for the flourishing of plants in such a limited area!
Crete boasts the richest flora in Europe, hosting the world's most endemic plants relative to its size. Over 200 endemic plant species exist solely on this island. Although the Botanical Garden is a private initiative, it remains a garden of senses with a different philosophy – not so commercial – aiming to reconnect humans with their natural environment.
- The Botanical Garden seeks to connect visitors with both the local economy and society.
In this way, the Garden is supported by a restaurant and a center promoting local products. These efforts aim to highlight a healthy lifestyle through the philosophy of the Cretan diet, which research and studies have repeatedly proven to be nutritionally superior.
Visit the Botanical Garden of Crete for a unique experience! Contact us for more information.
