Strolling along the “Gran Via de San Francisco in Madrid”, Spain, we found a garden that invited to be discovered. Today it is known as the San Francisco Gardens or “Antigua Dalieda”.
The beautiful roses that we find there are located next to the Basilica of “San Francisco El Grande”. Originally it was known as the “Dalieda”, since garden had Dahlias, which belong to the same family of flowers as the chrysanthemums and are originally from Mexico. The Dahlia flower was discovered in a Spanish expeditions in the Yucatan Peninsula in the 16th century. They are introduced in Spain by the 18th century. “La Dalieda” was inaugurated in May 2007 with species grown in the garden the “Palacio de Cristal de la Arganzuela” in Madrid.
Dahlia is a flower with a short flowering period, requiring constant cultivation to view them it in the garden. For this reason, over time, rose bushes were incorporated. Roses tend to be more resistant and although their flowering is mostly in the spring, even in the autumn months they can be observed. In fact, during our visit we were able to confirm this by observing a good variety of roses in the garden.
The Garden of San Francisco or “Antigua Dalieda” is located on what until 1961 was the Convent of San Francisco. This convent was in ruins and was demolished as part of an urban reorganization and expansion of the roads.
The garden or park has a viewpoint overlooking the western part of the city. It is located at an elevated point of about 637 meters above sea level. Alongside the viewpoint is the sculpture, “The Dream of San Isidro,” by Santiago Costa from 1952.
