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Left to visit is the private garden of the mansion, where real botanical jewels can be found, many old examples of exotic flowers, old and large Camellias , the italianated garden taht is hardly recognizable because the abundance and growth of the exotic trees, the fruit trees and the oldest existing orenge trees in galicia, the fountain and resting area of Jovellanos, the garden of Circular Pond, the passage way of boxwood, the greenhouse, the forrest of mixed Camellias, local and imported trees, all born there together and with the passing of years live by Castilán falls, the mill, and the large pond.

It is not easy in this small essay to describe the splendor of the private garden of the Mansion of Santa Cruz de Rivadulla and its forrests, but the best way to enjoy it is by a personal visit. The visit is possible and is opened during fixed hours. The guide that leads the tour of visitors has an excellent knowlwdge of the plants of the mansion. He is a friendly person taht will respond to any question concerning the trees and plants that grow here. He also knows there species and botanical names of all the plants and the conditions required for them to flourish.

To obtain access to the private garden, always led by a guide during the published hours, we find in the first place the century old greenhouse and a monumental mixture of flowers that over the years have overtaken the beauty of the architectural ornaments in the garden. It is a such a variety and growth of century old trees and bushes,taht are increasing their size bythe expressed desire and pleasure of proprietors, that at first, it is difficult to see the original designs created in the private garden over the centuries.

Here large trees and rare species, such as the century old ferns (Dicksonia antarctica), tall palm trees (Washingtonia robusta and Phoenix canariensis), huge and beautiful solitary magnolias ( M. soulangeana, M. campbelii, M. grandiflora, etc.), many Camellias amongst them old examples of Camellia reticulata ‘Captain Rawes’, probably related or descended from those excising at the Oca mansion, a large variety of rhododendrons and azaleas (R. arboreum, R. luteum, R. obtusum, R.mucronatum, R. ponticum,etc.), beautiful Jupiter trees (Lagerstroemia indica) and an endless rare variety and species of plants that serve as an example the Prunus laurocerus ‘camelliaefolium’, the Citrus myrtifoliaa or the delicate and beautiful Kalmia latifolia.

The master gardener Granpont, whom was contracted in Paris in the first years of the eightieth decade of the XIX century, to design the garden for Ezequiel de Selgas the banker and his brother and historian Fortunato de Selgas, had designed for his land El Pito (Cudillero, Asturias), work completed with the VIII Marquis, called affectionately Uncle Ivan, the renovation of the private garden. After starting the refurbishing and design of the Selgas-Fagalde garden, the master gardener Grandpont, labored in various gardens in the Northern part of Spain, amongst them Santa Cruz de Ribadulla. His work in Cudillero was the completed in La Quinta de los Selgas, by the gardener, also french, Henri Rigoreau and his descendants.

The formal structure of the garden was eradicated for the botanic passion of the propietor, Ivan Armada y Fernandez of Cordoba, VIII Marquis of Santa Cruz de Ribadulla. The botanical plantations of the VIII Marquis overwhelm that of his predecessors and the different species that were permitted to grow naturally, which doesn’t permit one to see all of its original design. The descendents that owned this property seemed to have the habit of not modihelming the work of Uncle Ivan and let the various species grow in time in its natural form.

Few gardens today have the privilege of having the data of who and when bought the plants in this garden. But with the Granja de Ortigueira, the family conserves what they call ‘Notebooks of Uncle Ivan”, where the annotations of species and varieties bought in nurseries throughout Europe, permit today, us to see the dates of much of the vegetation in the garden. Of the distinct singular examples or groups of flowers in the garden, it is possible to follow their linage to many nurseries in Europe during those times. Van Houtten, Le Roy de Angers, Loureiro Marques, Cartes, Vilmorin or Juro, are some of the nurseries that are related by distinct varieties and numerous examples and other considerations.

The visit continues through the garden and later takes us into the mixed forrest that was formed naturally. Confirmed by the typical species like the acorns (Quercus suber) and oaks (Quercus rubur), and for Camellias that have grown in the forrest, from natural germination during two hundred years. We see the round pond, the long double row of bushes (Buxus sempervirens), that borders the path that we take, the large pond surrounded by tulips from Virginia (Liriodendron tuipifera), the bust of the gardener Pereira, next to a huge sobreira (Quercus suber), the world globe, the grotto, the Castilan river, the Nogueira fountain, with flowers associated with humid locations, a waterfalls, bridges, mill and the ‘Descanso de Jovellanos’.

Hidden within the forrest, a small space can be found with a fountain and table that is called “Descanso de Jovellanos”. Tradition tells us that it was here that one of the most important spanish personalities of the XVIII century and the beginning of the XIX century sat and wrote. He was the famous Melchor Gaspar Baltasar de Jovellanos (1744-1811), essayist, poet, dramatist, and historian, promoted throughout the economic society of the country and an important politician of his times, member of different governments, during his unfortunate period of the war of independence against Napoleon Bonaparte, was shipwrecked in 1811 in front of the Muros and Noya coast (province of Corunna).

Juan Ignacio de Armada Caamano and Mondragon had organized and directed the Literary Battle of the Santiago de Compostela University, and received many honors fighting against the french invaders. During his stay at Santa Cruz de Ribadulla, Jovellanos wrote his famous work ‘Memoria en defensa de la Junta Central”, and also mentioned that during his stay at this location, it was one of the happiest times in his life even though there was the War of Independence going on at thet time.

Returning to the exit, we pass by paths that mark the separation of aligned magnolias and camellias. There are also formations of trees where excellent species can be found. The size of some of these examples is exceptional, such as the case of the Magnolia grandiflora and the powerful creeping plant (Eleagnus pungens), that grows from the ground up to the top of the highest magnolia that exist at this mansion and most probably in Galicia end Spain. Close the building various orange trees can be found, thar are the remains of thr older citric plantations. One of the oldest examples has a trunk with a perimeter of two meters, which is quite unusual for this tree.

Finally remaining is the necessity to comment of the alignment of the old camellias. They are considered to be the oldest existing in Galicia basedon te notations of Uncle Ivan. The botanist Carlos Rodriguez Dacal, mentioned earlier, wrote in his article titled ‘Camellias Monumentales degalicia’, published in the magazine “La Camellia”, (n. 3), of the Spanish Camellia Society, that one of the camellias located in these rows probably is the oldest of this garden even thought it is grouped in with other old camellias and next the very tall magnolias. he added that it was written in the notebook "Libretas del Tío Ivan (1877)", that this denomination of old camellia had a height of seven meters in those years. Taking into account the years required for a Camellia japonica to attain this height, it has placed this monumental example near the end of the XVIII century or in the early XIX century.

The economic cost of maintanance of these huge trees is so great that the public authorities must collaborate. We are also most fortunate to be able to enjoy this garden because os passionate love by its owners for yhe plants and camellias, maintaining them over the years permitting us to see this masterpierce, which is the the Pazo de Santa Cruz de Rivadulla.