Jardin d'Essai du Hamma

The Jardin d'Essai was laid out from 1832 on flat ground between the hills and the bay as a trial garden for plants brought from across the world, and it grew into around fifty-eight hectares of botanical collections, palm houses, ponds and, most memorably, long straight avenues: one of Washingtonia palms running toward the sea, another of dragon trees, another of ficus with roots that have thickened into walls. Early Tarzan films were shot among them. The garden fell into decay in the late twentieth century and was restored and reopened in 2009. It is now the main green space of the capital, used heavily by families at weekends.

History

In 1832 the civil intendant Pierre Genty de Bussy and the interim governor, General Antoine Avisard, decided to drain the marshes at the foot of the Arcades hill, and the garden began on 5 hectares as a model farm and a test garden, supplying trees to public bodies and European settlers and, from 1833, producing carmine. In 1837 it bought an 18-hectare site and grew westward as the government's central nursery, and under Auguste Hardy, director from 1842, it took in many animal species and expanded several times between 1848 and 1867 to reach its present shape. A lake and an outer boulevard were made in 1860, it was renamed the Acclimatisation Garden in 1861, and by 1867 it held an estimated 8,214 species (Wikipedia, Botanical Garden Hamma).

What you'll find

• The dragon tree avenue - the alley of thick-trunked dracaenas.
• The palm avenue to the sea - the long straight axis through the garden.
• Ficus with wall-like roots - the buttressed trunks along the walks.
• Glasshouses and ponds - the botanical collections at the upper end.

When to go

Spring and autumn, when the avenues are not baking. Half a day. Weekends are crowded with families; weekday mornings are quiet. Closed on some public holidays.

Things to know

Weekend crowds are heavy and litter builds up. Some sections and glasshouses are closed or in poor condition. There is a small zoo area that many visitors find depressing. Summer heat on the open avenues is strong.

Nearby

The fine arts museum is on the terrace above; central Algiers lies west.

Key facts