Blog: Marimurtra alive

Marimurtra presenta un estudi d’herbaris de centres d’educació secundària al 1r Congrés de Joves Investigadors en Estudis Locals

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El Jardí Botànic Marimurtra presenta al 1r Congrés de Joves Investigadors en Estudis Locals el resum dels herbaris estudiats conservats en centres d‘educació secundària a Catalunya, a càrrec del conservador de l’herbari, Carles Burguera.

Una de les línies de recerca de l’herbari del Jardí Botànic Marimurtra és la restauració, estudi i posada en valor d’antigues col·leccions botàniques. Amb aquest objectiu, l’herbari ha rebut sis col·leccions que ha pogut estudiar detingudament i de les que periòdicament es van publicant els resultats i les troballes interessants en revistes científiques especialitzades.

En la comunicació al Congrés s’exposen detalladament quatre dels herbaris estudiats, sumant un total de 5.000 espècimens recol·lectats entre 1900-1960 arreu de l’estat. Tanmateix, es revalora l’estudi i conservació d’aquestes col·leccions científiques, els plecs d’herbari més rellevant en l’àmbit taxonòmic i la rellevància dels seus recol·lectors.

El Congrés està organitzat per la Universitat Rovira i Virgili, la Coordinadora de Centre d’Estudis de Parla Catalana i l’Institut Ramon Muntaner Organitzen i compta amb dotze àmbits temàtics i una seixantena de comunicacions.

The Jardí Botànic Marimurtra organizes the first edition of the “Marimurtríssim”, a botanical family festival

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The family day will take place on Sunday 5 May and will have activities to discover botany in a fun way with workshops and guided tours

“Marimurtríssim” is the first family botanical festival organized by the Carl Faust Foundation at the Marimurtra Botanical Garden in Blanes. This celebration will have a large number of activities that aim to bring botany closer to an audience of all ages, while they enjoy a world of colors, aromas and discoveries.

The festival will take place on Sunday, May 5, from 10 am to 6 pm. Throughout the day, activities can be carried out to explore a green world full of surprises and activities for the whole family. From manipulative workshops or botanical activities, to exciting independent gymnasiums or guided tours.

The day’s program is divided into 3 large blocks.

The Biodiversity Corner, which consists of 3 dynamic and educational workshops focused on improving the biodiversity of our local environment with the construction of an insect hotel (10.30 a.m.), bird nest boxes (11.30 a.m.) and of bird feeders (12.30 p.m.).

The botanical activities that will have the participation of Mònica Dòria, an expert in stamping and natural dyes, who will energize two activities, one on dyeing plants and the other on stamping with natural dyes; and also with the bloggers Montse Verdaguer and Júlia Navarro from Kilometer0.cat who will hold a healthy cooking workshop designed for the little ones to prepare dishes with the most original fruits and vegetables.

The guided tour The Biodiversity of Marimurtra, which focuses on understanding how plants and animals help each other, how some plants help us fight pests and the role that biodiversity plays in the management of a Garden. They will be offered in three different shifts: 10.30 a.m., 12.30 p.m. and 3.30 p.m.

Throughout the day there will also be stalls with a local gastronomic offer where you can have lunch or a drink, as well as a plant market with local nurseries that will allow you to take home a vivid memory of Marimurtríssimo.

The tickets, which can be bought through the website www.marimurtra.cat. The entry form includes one child for each adult, the opportunity to participate in 1 of the 6 workshops planned for the day, a guided tour, an independent gymnasium, and a welcome cloth bag with information about the festival.

This festival is part of the actions that the Carl Faust Foundation, manager of the Marimurtra Botanical Garden, is organizing this 2024 to celebrate its centenary. One hundred years ago Carl Faust created a botanical garden on the first cliffs of the Costa Brava to be able to offer it to science and scientists. He created a place where plants and life could be studied. In addition, it is also one hundred and fifty years since his birth. So following Faust’s vision, it is a day to celebrate life, science and plants and also to promote all these concepts to future generations: a day designed for the whole family.

INS Serrallarga makes a community service that has improved the state of the Marimurtra Botanical Garden forest

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Thanks to this action, invasive plants have been removed and nest boxes have been installed to control invasive pests that live in trees

The students of the INS Serrallarga de Blanes have, for three days, made a community service at the Marimurtra Botanical Garden in Blanes. The aim of this initiative is for ESO students to work as a team, learn about various species of flora and fauna and, at the same time, collaborate in improving the state of conservation of the forest using various techniques.</ p>

To carry it out, the 119 students were divided into groups with the following challenges: cataloging species, extracting invasive plants, arranging paths, communication and biodiversity. In the latter group, the task consisted of building nest boxes and installing them in strategic points in the trees to attract the birds that will control invasive pests.

The Publicity Manager of the Marimurtra Botanical Garden in Blanes, Anna Sans, has highlighted the importance of this type of project “at an educational and pedagogical level which, at the same time, improves the state of conservation of the forests that are owned by the garden “.

The project is subsidized by the Department of Sustainability and Climate Action of the Generalitat, coordinated by Xatrac, with the collaboration of Blanes City Council and the Marimurtra Botanical Garden.

The Marimurtra Botanical Garden in Blanes trains professionals in the world of plants with the Technical days

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This Friday, April 12, there will be a training session on organic gardens and their management

The Jardí Botànic Marimurtra de Blanes organizes a set of conceptually linked training sessions aimed at the specialized sector of gardening, botany and the world of plants.

The next day, this Friday, April 12, is about how local intensive agriculture has been adapting its crops and its management towards a sustainable form. With the interest of deepening the management of the diversity of short-cycle crops, the treatments of the main pests as well as the different techniques for maintaining soil fertility.

To complement the day, we will talk about the importance of preserving the cultivation of local garden varieties and how these enrich the biodiversity of the gardens. Finally, there will be a tasting of recipes made with local products from the day’s farmers, prepared by culinary experts Montse Verdaguer and Júlia Navarro from www.kilometre0.cat

The training will include presentations by three experts in the field; Jordi Puig Roca, Miquel Riera and Cristina Pozo Vives.

  • Jordi Puig Roca, researcher in agrobiodiversity, specialist in cultivated biodiversity and organic garden producer, will explain the importance of cultivated biodiversity in a context of climate crisis.
  • Miquel Riera, head of the Horta Ecològica Pla de Munt, will offer his experiences of a transition towards organic agriculture.
  • Cristina Pozo Vives, agricultural technical engineer at ADV Santa Susanna and Hortalisses Carbó, will report on different ecological strategies for a more sustainable agriculture.

Attendees will be able to put into practice on the land of Marimurtra all the knowledge acquired during the technical days.

Friday’s session will be the second of the five technical sessions planned for this edition:

  • March 15, How to achieve maximum efficiency of an irrigation system by minimizing water consumption, with Julio César Grandal.
  • April 12, Garden day with Jordi Puig, Miquel Riera and Cristina Pozo.
  • April 26, What is the food web and what role does it play in the garden? with Quim Zaldo.
  • May 10, Management and maintenance of the arboretum and the palmetum of the Botanical Garden of Valencia, with José Plumed.
  • May 31, How can we promote ecosystem regeneration through soil microbiology?, with Quim Zaldo.

The aim of the conference is to offer them expert knowledge, update workers in the sector and make them aware of the importance of biological conservation, a task that is carried out in the Garden following the vision of its founder, Carl Faust.

More information on the technical days and tickets on the website https://marimurtra.cat/jornades-tecniques-de-marimurtra/

Jornades Tècniques Marimurtra 2024

Restoration of the furniture heritage of Carl Faust’s house

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Recently, some restoration work has been carried out on some of the elements of the furniture heritage of Carl Faust’s house.

Counting on the professional restorer Raul Mestre, different restoration techniques have been carried out for different pieces of furniture in the house. In 1921, Carl Faust, founder of the Marimurtra Botanical Garden, had the house built, which is the heart of the Botanical Garden and the Foundation. A work by the nineteenth-century architect Josep Goday that is currently the welcome point for visitors to the Costa Brava Botanical Garden.

The craftsman restorer Raul has restored some pieces that had corks, insects that bore galleries in the wood, and that damage the furniture. To do this, he took the furniture into a humidity-controlled cold chamber for 10 days to ensure that the insect dies. Afterwards, the damage is restored, stabilizing the wood both aesthetically and structurally to control future appearances and guarantee its maintenance.

Two pieces of furniture of great heritage value also stand out. One is a 17th-century headboard later converted into a neoclassical ottoman, and the other a cupboard dating from 1840, specially designed for botanical tasks such as drying plants or other activities typical of a herbarium. In both cases, work has been done to consolidate the stucco and touch up the paint finishes.

This year, in addition, the centenary of Marimurtra is celebrated. 1924 was the year in which Faust decided to dedicate his efforts, heritage and time to the realization of his dream, the Botanical Garden.

The Carl Faust Foundation presents the first issue of El Jardí d’Epicur, the magazine of academic and informative articles of the Jardí Botànic Marimurtra

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This is the first online publication of the Foundation’s own publishing house, Edicions de Marimurtra

The Garden of Epicurus offers a deep and reflective look at the results and knowledge generated in this “Epicurean Republic of biologists” (in Carl Faust’s own words) created a century ago. The publication highlights the importance of contemporary science which, apart from enriching botanical knowledge, also has a social impact and improves society in general.

The magazine presents a combination of scientific and informative articles, reflecting the continuous development of the Garden and its adaptation to the new times. With this publication, we seek not only to share knowledge, but also to show that Faust’s garden, as an epicurean garden, remains alive and evolving, just as its founder would have liked.

The publication wants to be seen as another of the productions and creations of gardeners, scientists and science lovers around the Costa Brava Botanical Garden. A tool to transmit scientific reflection, the deepening of botanical knowledge and the dissemination of all this knowledge that arises as another fruit of Marimurtra.

The publication can be consulted for free online at https://marimurtra.cat/jardi-epicur/

The Carl Faust Foundation was created in 1951 by the founder of the Marimurtra Botanical Garden, Carl Faust, with the aim of continuing his work. Among its founding objectives are “…the protection and promotion of studies in Mediterranean biology, especially in botany, […] seeking cooperation and international relations for the benefit, all in all, of scientific research and dissemination…” .

Consult the magazine

Marimurtra Botanical Garden publishes Index Seminum 2023-2024 with 185 botanical taxa

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The Index Seminum is a catalog that contains the available seeds. The one in Marimurtra, this year has 185 botanical taxa included in 53 families. As a novelty, this year highlights the presence of 32 traditional horticultural varieties (tomatoes, peppers, pumpkins…), most of them from Catalonia, the result of the research, conservation and dissemination objectives of the Botanical Garden.

This catalog is a network of connections between botanical gardens around the world, where research centers and universities are also linked. The objective of Index Seminum is to facilitate the free exchange of seeds between these centers to facilitate the conservation and study of plant species.
During 2023, the Marimurtra Botanical Garden published the Index Seminum with 175 taxa and 60 families, having made 33 shipments to 21 botanical gardens or research centers in 16 different countries, adding up a total of 290 batches of seeds.

Requests can be made through the form that can be found on the website https://marimurtra.cat/index-seminum/, as well as consulting all the taxa and details of the Index Seminum del Jardín. Applications are accepted until April 30, 2024.

The Carl Faust Foundation was created in 1951 by the creator of the Marimurtra Botanical Garden, Carl Faust, with the aim of continuing his work. Among its founding objectives are “…the protection and promotion of Mediterranean biology studies, especially in botany […] seeking cooperation and international relations for the benefit, all of this, of scientific research and dissemination .. .”.

2023 report on the monitoring of birds in the Marimurtra Botanical Garden

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The report made by the environmental consultant Pere Alzina i Bilbeny in 2023 on the ornithological monitoring in the Marimurtra Botanical Garden, in Blanes, presents detailed data on the species of birds that inhabit or visit this natural space. With an area of 16 hectares and a location between the Mediterranean Sea, forests and urban areas, the botanical garden is home to a rich variety of birds.

During the four visits carried out throughout the year 2023, a total of 35 species of birds were identified, with a special emphasis on nesting species. Several categories of nesting probability have been recorded, ranging from possible to certain, including species such as the Great-breasted Tern, the Black-breasted Tern and the Heron.

The document highlights the presence of 30 species that show signs of reproduction, among which the blue tern, the tudon and the crayfish stand out. The importance of protecting the environment and the species present is highlighted, with the aim of maintaining biological diversity.

In addition, Pere underlines Marimurtra’s involvement in environmentally sustainable practices, such as the cessation of the use of biocides and chemical fertilizers, and actions to promote ornithological fauna and their habitats.

This report contributes to a better understanding of the dynamics and richness of the ancestral fauna of the Marimurtra Botanical Garden, highlighting its importance as a space for conservation and scientific research in the context of international botanical gardens.

Download here the complete report on bird monitoring in the Marimurtra Botanical Garden 2023 by Pere Alzina.

The Marimurtra Botanical Garden has carried out the fertilization of the Encephalartos natalensis

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On Sunday, December 14th, there was an exceptional event in Marimurtra: the fertilization of the two female cones of Encephalartos natalensis. The history of cicadas goes back more than 200 million years, they are prehistoric plants and in fact, they coexisted with dinosaurs. Specifically, the species Encephalartos natalensis belongs to the Zamiaceae family and forms a fundamental part of the garden’s botanical collection. The vast majority of leafhoppers are seriously threatened in their natural habitats, adding a crucial component to the importance of this event, for its significance in terms of plant conservation.

The specimen of Encephalartos natalensis from Marimurtra is female and has produced two cones, the reproductive structures of these prehistoric gymnosperms. One of the cones has been fertilized with Encephalartos longifolius pollen, thanks to the collaboration of cicada expert Simon Lavaud from France. Simultaneously, the other cone has been fertilized with pollen from Encephalartos horridus, a species belonging to the Marimurtra Botanical Garden.
The pollination technique, carried out dry without the use of water, closely emulates natural conditions. Using an air bulb, the precise introduction of pollen into the cones has been achieved, a practice that mimics how this fertilization would happen in the wild, thanks to the role of insects.

The prospect of developing two hybrids from this fertilization is exciting, although it will take almost a year and a half to determine the success of this initiative. The scales of the cones close after allowing pollination, protecting the ovules inside as they mature into seeds. In approximately 6 months, they will have done so and will be collected. Another six to eight months of waiting will still be required before they can be sown and their viability checked, anticipating a promising spring of 2025 to know the fate of these unique hybrids.

Learn about the experience of the European volunteers in Marimurtra, Mia and Louisa

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Mia and Louisa arrived in Marimurtra in October 2023. After two months of this international volunteering experience of the European Solidarity Corps program and living with the Botanical Garden, they tell us about their experience in the first person:

We are enjoying our first few weeks in Blanes to the fullest! We can now start working in the garden which is very exciting. We get on very well with the gardeners. Although we are still struggling with the language, we sometimes find a way to communicate and understand the jokes of the gardeners. Our tasks are mainly cutting plants such as palm trees and hedges, but also weeding and working with biological extracts for fertilization. In addition, we take care of the bird feeders and watch the birds in the garden.

Every Monday and Wednesday we visit the language school to learn Catalan and we can use it directly with the gardeners. This is very satisfying.

Due to the good weather lately, we often spend the afternoons on the beach enjoying the beautiful bays with less and less tourists. After discovering the urban center of Blanes, we were visited on the first weekend by a friend, who is currently staying in a village 40 km away. The three of us took a canoe trip to a nearby cove, which can only be done by boat and which we had already seen from the Botanical Garden. Also, they offered us the great opportunity to join the yoga class on Sundays at the botanical garden and we immediately decided to join the class weekly.

We also got in touch with eight very nice girls from Germany who are doing a year of volunteering in Tordera, which is very close to us. We met at the beach, had a picnic on the balcony and went to a climbing gym together. We also went to a Karaoke bar and participated in the city festival near the beach and visited the already mentioned friend in his nearby village.

Mia & Louisa

Mia und Louisa in Blanes, Spanien // 1. Bericht