First-ever vertical garden with trees and over 100 plant species in Barcelona

Barcelona is now home to a vertical garden with 104 plant species, the first in the Catalan capital with trees.

Located beside the entrance to the CaixaForum museum near the bottom of Montjuïc Hill, it is home to over 19,000 plants that will serve as a refuge for birds and pollinators. 

"This mantle will change with the seasons and in a few weeks or months we will have vines that will shine with splendor," the head of the Fundació La Caixa, Elisa Durán, said on Thursday went it was presented to the media - the garden marks the museum's 20th anniversary.

It was also designed with the aim of creating a green lung for the city and a gateway to nature on the hill.  

The plants were selected and organized according to how much water they require. Mediterranean plants, which need more sunlight and less water, are on the right, while plants that are generally found near rivers are on the left. 

The garden has a state-of-the-art rainwater collection and irrigation system which Durán says "allows for water resources to be optimized."

Janet Sanz, the Barcelona council member for ecology and urban planning, was also present at the garden's unveiling, stressing that it was "necessary" to make more "green" and "sustainable" public and private spaces in the city. 

"We should grow accustomed to seeing walls that are used like this because this is a very dense and developed city," she said.

The garden was designed by Gabriel Ruiz, an artist, and created by Jardineria Artística Babilon, a company that specializes in vertical gardening and landscaping on roofs. Some 150 professionals helped make the garden a reality.