Blog: Marimurtra alive

At the Marimurtra Botanical Garden, we continue working to make the biodiversity around us more accessible and easier to understand. Recently, we have renewed the information panel at the insect hotel located next to the vegetable garden, an element already present in the Garden but which now features clearer, more visual and educational signage.

This new panel helps visitors better understand what an insect hotel is, which species can find shelter there and the important role this space plays in the ecological balance of the Garden.

What is an insect hotel?

An insect hotel is an artificial shelter built with natural materials —such as canes, small logs, hay, pine cones or terracotta pieces— that mimic the microhabitats where many insects and other small arthropods live. These spaces allow them to shelter, reproduce, lay eggs or overwinter under suitable conditions.

In managed environments such as botanical gardens, these shelters become especially relevant, as they help compensate for the loss of natural habitats that many species experience outside these spaces.

What is it for?

The insect hotel at Marimurtra hosts beneficial fauna that contributes directly to the proper functioning of the Garden. The new panel explains three major groups of insects according to the function they perform:

Pollinators, such as some solitary bees or hoverflies, essential for the reproduction of many plants.

Detritivores, which break down organic matter and help recycle nutrients in the soil.

Pest controllers, such as ladybirds, lacewings or spiders, which help maintain the natural balance of the vegetable garden and the Garden.

A small element with a great impact on biodiversity

With the renewal of this panel, Marimurtra reinforces its commitment to sharing the importance of biodiversity and the ecosystem services provided by smaller fauna. The insect hotel is not only a shelter, but also an educational tool that invites observation, understanding and appreciation of nature from a more attentive perspective.

The Marimurtra Botanical Garden has closed 2025 with a total of 235,395 visitors, the highest figure recorded to date, which represents an increase of 18.07% compared to 2024. This record coincides with the conclusion of the Garden’s centenary celebration events, which began in 2024 and have extended throughout 2025 with a wide program of activities aimed at all audiences.

In terms of the origin of visitors, French tourists have been the largest group (16.36%), followed closely by Catalans (16.28%) and Chinese (14.72%). Polish visitors (9.51%) and Germans (6.18%) complete the ranking, which confirms the international nature of the Garden.

Another relevant data from 2025 is the trend towards deseasonalization of visits. Although summer continues to be the season of the year with the highest influx, a notable increase in visits has been detected during the spring and, progressively, also in the autumn.

In 2025, the Marimurtra Botanical Garden has strongly promoted guided tours and school visits. In total, 410 guided tours have been carried out and the Garden has received a total of 3,791 students.

On the other hand, the second edition of the Marimurtríssim Botanical Family Festival -held in May- has been an absolute success in terms of participation and has become an essential event for families looking for an educational, recreational and gastronomic experience in the middle of nature.

In 2025, the Carl Faust Foundation has reinforced its commitment to disseminating and bringing nature closer to society. With this objective, several learning workshops have been given, including those organized at the Fira d’Entitats, at the Setmana de la ciencia and the Marimurtríssim, as well as the Gardening and Gardening Workshop for the Elderly, a new social project by Marimurtra to improve the physical and psychological well-being of retirees, which has been attended by nearly a hundred people over four months.

Finally, 2025 has also been the year of the incorporation of the new scientific director of the Garden. Since September, Doctor of Botany Josep A. Rosselló has been responsible for guiding Marimurtra’s scientific activities, orienting research projects and setting the guidelines for the new Collection Plan.

Visitors in 2025: 235.395Source of visitors in 2025

The Marimurtra Botanical Garden launched a meteorological station in 2021, which can be freely consulted on the botanical garden’s website www.marimurtra.cat.

These are the most significant meteorological data from 2025:

Regarding temperatures, the annual maximum was recorded on August 16, 2025, with a value of 38.4 °C, while the minimum of the year was reached on January 14, 2025, with 0.8 °C, reflecting a significant thermal amplitude throughout the year.

In relation to rainfall, the rainiest day of the year was September 1, 2025, with an accumulated total of 45.0 l/m², coinciding also with the maximum precipitation intensity, which reached 103.2 l/m². During 2025, 92 days of rain and 273 days without precipitation were recorded, with an annual accumulated rainfall of 700.3 l/m².

As for wind, the maximum gust recorded was 10.7 m/s (38.2 km/h) on January 28, 2025.

Finally, regarding atmospheric pressure, the highest value recorded was 1027.1 hPa, while the lowest pressure of the year stood at 993.8 hPa, recorded on March 13, 2025.

This set of data contributes to the ongoing study of the local climate and reinforces the role of the Marimurtra Botanical Garden as a reference point in environmental and climatic observation along the Costa Brava coastline.

Every year, the Marimurtra Botanical Garden welcomes numerous school visits seeking a different educational experience on the Costa Brava. The aim is to offer activities that go beyond a traditional guided tour and allow students to learn through experience. Direct contact with nature, hands-on materials and active discovery become the key elements of a proposal that connects science, emotion and learning.

Over the years, we have adapted our programme towards more hands-on and participatory proposals, where children can experiment, observe and discover nature with their own hands. This way of learning sparks curiosity, fosters a scientific spirit and turns each outing into a lasting memory.

We have also worked to ensure that the activities are aligned with the basic competencies established by the Department of Education, guaranteeing that each proposal adds value to the learning process. In this way, the experience at the Garden does not remain an isolated activity, but is linked to the content and objectives worked on in the classroom. This connection ensures that the visit has a real and meaningful impact on students’ educational journey.

Marimurtra is therefore a place where education, nature and science come together. Located in a unique setting on the Costa Brava, the Garden offers an incomparable environment to grow in knowledge and awaken vocations. Whether it is about discovering plant diversity, enjoying a day surrounded by nature or living an innovative educational experience, Marimurtra stands out as a benchmark for schools and an inspiring place for everyone.

The Marimurtra Botanical Garden experienced a very special day with the closing event of its centenary, a commemorative year that has filled the Garden with cultural, educational and scientific activities aimed at audiences of all ages, both inside and outside the grounds.

The institutional event brought together political authorities, members of the Board of Trustees of the Carl Faust Foundation, staff and people connected to Marimurtra, and included the unveiling of a commemorative plaque on the façade of Carl Faust’s former house. The different speeches highlighted the figure of the Garden’s founder and the continuity of his legacy over one hundred years.

The Mayor of Blanes, Jordi Hernández, expressed the pride that hosting the Marimurtra Botanical Garden represents for the municipality, while the deputy of the Girona Provincial Council, Natàlia Figueras, highlighted its heritage, scientific, educational and cultural dimensions. The President of the Government of Catalonia, Quim Torra, recalled his personal connection with Marimurtra, and the Secretary for Ecological Transition, Jordi Sargatal, underlined the good state of conservation of the Garden and its work in preserving plant species. For his part, the President of the Carl Faust Foundation, Cristòfol Jordà, reaffirmed the intention for Marimurtra to continue being a welcoming place for learning and botanical research, also announcing the intention to make Carl Faust’s house accessible to visitors.

Coinciding with this closing day, the first issue of the Marimurtra Journal was presented, an annual 20-page publication that gathers the Garden’s activity during the 2024–2025 period. The journal includes scientific projects, outreach actions, educational activities, conservation initiatives and a record of the centenary. The first issue can already be consulted online at marimurtra.cat/diari.

Closing of the Gardening Workshops for older adults

The day also coincided with the closing of the first edition of the gardening and vegetable garden workshops for older adults, an initiative that for four months has turned Marimurtra into a space for meeting, learning and social interaction. The programme was fully booked and involved the participation of 80 people distributed across four groups, with a total of 16 sessions.

The workshops, promoted by the Carl Faust Foundation with the collaboration of the “la Caixa” Foundation, aimed to encourage mobility, socialisation and emotional wellbeing among older people in Blanes through contact with plants and outdoor activity. The sessions were led by Anna Colomer, from deBosc, and took place entirely at the Marimurtra Botanical Garden.

With this event, Marimurtra brings to a close a year of celebrating its centenary while looking towards the future, reaffirming its commitment to botany, outreach, conservation and social ties with the territory.

Bracts that light up winter

When December arrives, many homes brighten with an intense red that marks the beginning of Advent. It is the colour of the poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima), a plant we often call the “Christmas flower”, although what captivates us are not the petals, but the bracts: modified leaves that the plant uses to protect and highlight its true flowers, very small and discreet. These coloured structures, common in several botanical families, are especially emblematic in the genus Euphorbia, where the cyathia (inflorescences that mimic a single flower) hide a delicate evolutionary ingenuity.

The poinsettia is native to the tropical forests of Mexico and Guatemala, where it can grow as a tall shrub or even a small tree, up to four metres high, and turn red in sync with winter celebrations. This natural link with the calendar is what has made it a universal symbol of Christmas. The plant, however, is much more sensitive than it seems: it suffers from excess watering, from the dry air of heating systems, and from cold drafts. For this reason, it often does not survive much beyond the festive season.
Its characteristic red depends on a key phenomenon: the photoperiod, that is, the amount of light and darkness it receives each day. The poinsettia is a short-day plant, meaning it only develops coloured bracts when it experiences long, uninterrupted nights. In greenhouses, growers make use of this sensitivity and, in autumn, cover the plants for 12–14 consecutive hours to accelerate and intensify the colour change.

Thus, behind this plant so common in homes, lies a series of highly refined biological mechanisms that explain why it changes colour and why it is so sensitive to household conditions. Understanding them helps us appreciate the poinsettia more and enjoy it more wisely during the holidays.

The Christmas Tió: a magical Catalan tradition

When you walk through the Marimurtra Botanical Garden in December, you may be surprised to see a log wearing a barretina, with smiling eyes and a charming expression. This is the Marimurtra Christmas Tió, a beloved character that forms part of one of Catalonia’s most magical traditions.

Who is it and what does it represent?

The Tió is a special log that arrives in homes at the beginning of December. From that moment on, it becomes an endearing guest: it is covered with a blanket, given food, and looked after. This simple routine helps fill the month of December with excitement and small moments that prepare for the arrival of Christmas.

The day of making it “poop”

Christmas Eve, December 24, families gather to gently tap the Tió with a stick while singing a traditional song. And that is when, thanks to all the attention it has received, the Tió “poops” surprises that appear under the blanket. How and why… that is part of the magic adults know well and children perceive with eyes full of wonder.

Why is the Tió in Marimurtra?

At Marimurtra we enjoy sharing traditions with visitors, and having a Tió here allows us to bring this story closer to everyone walking through the Garden.

If you come near, you can greet it, take a photo, or tell it something nice.

Merry Christmas!

Butcher’s-broom (Ruscus aculeatus) is one of the most surprising plants in the Mediterranean undergrowth. Although at first glance it seems to have rigid and spiny leaves, what we actually observe are cladodes, that is, modified stems that take on the appearance and function of leaves. The true leaves of butcher’s-broom are tiny, scaly and barely visible; this is why the cladodes take over photosynthesis and most of the vegetative function.

One of the most striking singularities of this species is that the flowers —and later the red berries— grow in the centre of the cladode, which clearly shows that it is a stem and not a leaf.

Butcher’s-broom is a perennial and robust shrub found in many shady places along the Catalan coast and pre-coastal areas. It is well adapted to Mediterranean environments and is highly resistant to drought. Currently, it is not considered a threatened species in Catalonia, although in some natural areas the collection of branches is regulated to avoid pressure on local populations, especially during the Christmas season.

This regulation responds to the long tradition of using butcher’s-broom as a winter decorative element, long before holly or fir trees took on the prominence they have today. Thus, butcher’s-broom is a good example of plant adaptation and at the same time a plant closely linked to our winter traditions.

Its cladodes allow us to better understand the evolution of this species, and its historical use in Christmas decorations shows how nature and culture have coexisted and mutually influenced each other over time.

Every autumn, a very special moment arrives at the Marimurtra Botanical Garden: the harvest of myrtle berries. These small violet fruits, sourced exclusively from <em>Myrtus communis</em>, are the base of the artisanal liqueur Myrtus, crafted by Antonio Membrives of Laviret, and available at the garden shop.

This year, an exceptional harvest has been achieved: nearly 18,000 myrtle berries have been collected, the equivalent of approximately 18 kilos.

From plant to bottle: a three-month process

Once collected, the berries are spread out on a mat and the liqueur-making process begins. From fresh fruit to a bottle ready to enjoy, approximately three months go by.

1. Maceration in alcohol

The fruits are left to macerate in wine alcohol for 45–50 days, the time needed for them to release all their aromas.

2. Adjustment of alcoholic strength

The maceration initially uses alcohol at 96°, which is later reduced to 23° by adding water. The product is then left to rest so the flavours can harmonise.

3. Adjustment of sugar

When the alcoholic strength is optimal, the necessary amount of sugar is added to achieve the desired balance between intensity and sweetness.

4. Filtration and bottling

Once the process is finished, the liqueur is filtered, bottled, and left to rest for one month. This final resting period is essential for Myrtus to acquire its deep and characteristic flavour.

Limited and artisanal production

Each season, approximately 250 bottles of Myrtus are produced — a local liqueur crafted in an artisanal way from the fruits of the Marimurtra Botanical Garden and the expertise of Antonio Membrives (Laviret).

The Myrtus liqueur can be purchased at the garden shop and makes for an aromatic, special, and authentically Mediterranean souvenir.