Gibraltar Botanic Gardens, Gibraltar

The Gibraltar Botanical Gardens are also called La Alameda Gardens. The word "Alameda" is derived from the Spanish word "alamo," meaning poplar. "Alameda" indicates a tree-lined avenue or promenade. The trees were often poplar.

In 1815, the Botanical Gardens were commissioned by Governor General George Don. He aimed to create green space for off-duty soldiers and the public to recreate themselves. General George said he desired "a walk around the Grand Parade...an Alameda."

Giuseppe Codali, a landscape designer from Bergamo, Italy, arrived in Gibraltar in the 1870s. He was commissioned to transform the Alameda grounds into a landscape garden and recreational park. He also created the gardens of the Law Courts and other gardens both in Gibraltar and Spain.

Giuseppe's best work on the Alameda is the Dell, an Italian sunken garden under the Giuseppe Copdali Bridge. The Alameda was laid out with a web of connecting paths and terraces. Guns and memorial busts in the gardens affirm Gibaltar's military history. By the 1970s, the gardens had become deteriorated. They were rehabilitated in 1991.

The greenery of the Gardens includes plants and trees from the Iberian Peninsula and abroad, especially tropical and subtropical areas of the world.