The Dream of the Indianos, designed by Rose McMonigall for the Spanish Tourist Office and Turismo de Galicia, will highlight the history of these ambitious people and their turn-of-the-century gardens which are a lesser known chapter of Spain’s horticultural past. 

Ostentatious in style and laid out with new and exotic plant varieties, including shockingly out-of-place palm trees, these gardens were the ultimate status symbol of the ‘Indianos’. Having made their wealth in the West Indies, the philanthropic Indianos built homes heavily influenced by Caribbean colonial and elegant French design, and funded schools, hospitals and libraries, even the first ‘theme park’. Their gardens were a self-celebration of their new found status with recurrent reminders of their exotic life abroad.  New materials and post-Industrial Revolution techniques, such as ironwork and concrete, added into the mix to create a major and startling impact on Galician life, with elements still visible today. 

The Dream of the Indianos is the imagined front garden of a pink-hued Galician mansion. From an imposing front door, a dramatic double staircase sweeps down to a clipped topiary, double circle parterre, surrounding a white marble water feature. Two signature phoenix palms dominate the space, softened with traditional Galician plants -camellias and blue mophead hydrangeas – as well as luscious canna lilies and yew. Materials, previously never used before in gardens, are celebrated – cast and wrought iron in the luxurious garden furniture, stained glass in the front door, and concrete in the staircase, house rendering and pergola.  

Plant List

Exotics

Other ornamental trees

Climbers

Shrubs

Other Plants

(including a selection of native weeds… as seen in every real garden)