Stephen Utick
In 1773, Pedro Van-Zeller, a prominent businessman in Porto with links to England, acquired an estate on the left bank of the Douro River as a summer residence, the Quinta De Santo Inácio De Fiães. Thanks to the horticultural dedication of generations of his family successors who developed it, beginning with Luiz Van-Zeller in 1808, the estate’s reputation grew until in 1892 it was praised as a ‘Paradise of Camellias’in Portugal’s prestigous horticultural magazine Jornal de Horticultura Práctica. The golden era of the Quinta’s camellias shone under the influence of Roberto and Cristiano Van-Zeller during the period between 1875 and 1892, by which time 33 camellias were introduced into horticulture. Six of these Camellia japonica were named after members of the Van-Zeller family: ‘Carlos Van-Zeller, ‘Christiano Van-Zeller’, ‘Dona Carlota de Barros Van-Zeller’, ‘Dona Maria Helena Van-Zeller’, ‘Fernando Van-Zeller’ and ‘Roberto Van-Zeller’.
In 1997 the Quinta received a garden revival recreating the formal gardens which had dissappeared over the years. The revival was undertaken by Patrick Bowe in collaboration of Roberto Guedes, one of the owners of Quinta and son of Roberto Van-Zeller. In the 21st century, visitors can now wander through this estate exploring exquisite camellia blooms that feature in one of Europe’s finest remaining camellia parks of the 19th.
Sources: Andresen Guedes J, 2002,’The Van-Zeller Family and Its Contribution to the Camellias of Portugal’, International Camellia Journal, pp.42-45; Garrido, J Camélias Portuguesas,Agro-Manuel Publicaçoes Lda,Odivelas, Portugal, 2014, pp. 76-77; Associação Portuguesa das Camélias, 2014, Gardens of Northern Portugal, ICS Pre-Congress Tour brochure. Garden photography by Stephen Utick.
