“The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is now.”
Nurseries in Europe for Subtropical & Rare Plants
Many of the fruit trees grown at Orchard of Flavours are not available through Portuguese nurseries. To build our collection, we collaborate with private collectors and specialized nurseries across Europe.
Find the list below — Updated in April 2025.
Interestingly, some of the best sources for subtropical fruit trees are located in Northern Europe, offering excellent quality, fair prices, and careful packaging. Shipping is usually fast — between 4 to 8 days — and generally reliable, but timing matters. We recommend avoiding orders during peak summer due to heat stress, and from December to March when cold temperatures in the north can damage plants during transit.
You wouldn’t believe how many hours it took us to find these nurseries. Orchard of Flavours Botanical Garden is run as a non-profit, and we're happy to share all our discoveries with you.
If you would like to share one of your very good addresses, please send a mail to miguel@orchardofflavours.com.
Afroplants (Portugal)
Afroplants offers a diverse selection of plants and seeds from Arabia, Africa, and the Indian Ocean. We sourced most of our succulent collection from them.
Agrumi Lenzi (Italy)
Quite possibly the best citrus-focused nursery in Europe. While stock can be limited, they offer rare varieties such as Citrus maxima (pomelo). The quality of plant information — especially harvest calendars — is excellent. Orders are professionally packed, and the trees we've received are consistently well-pruned and healthy.
Andrew’s Garden (Belgium)
A hidden gem among European nurseries, where we sourced Carica pubescens and other rarities. Run by a Flemish grower, this nursery offers very young, well-kept plants at reasonable prices. Stock is limited, so don’t hesitate when something you want is available.
À l’Ombre des Figuiers (France)
A well-established and highly regarded French nursery. Known for exceptional plant quality, a wide species range, and excellent packaging. Though more expensive, the quality justifies the price — arguably the best nursery we’ve encountered so far.
Campodebenamayor (Spain)
A reliable nursery with a strong selection of subtropical fruit trees, including Litchi chinensis, Dimocarpus longan, and Carica papaya. A great option for Mediterranean-climate growers.
Canarius (Tenerife, Spain)
Home to one of the widest selections of subtropical plants in Europe. They offer everything you could dream of: neem trees, jackfruit, many mango varieties, and more. It’s truly a plant lover’s holy grail. Prices can be on the higher side, and shipping may take up to a week, so it’s best to place your order during mild weather. The minimum order is 150€.
Dorca Plantas (Portugal)
A relatively new online Portuguese nursery quickly gaining attention. Their catalog includes many tropical and subtropical edible plants, some rare. Availability can be inconsistent, but it’s a promising option for adventurous growers.
Exoteninsel (Germany)
Arguably Europe’s top source for rare subtropical plants. Specializes in hard-to-find and sometimes endangered species from Latin America and Asia. Offers germinated seeds and very young plants, better suited for experienced growers willing to wait 1–3 years before planting.
Flora Toskana (Germany)
Carries Coffea arabica, a wide jasmine collection including Jasminum sambac, and fruit trees like Casimiroa edulis (white sapote).
Jardim Seco (Portugal)
Founded by Ben and Johanna, this Algarve-based nursery focuses on drought-resistant, Mediterranean-adapted plants. Many are edible, and all are grown on-site with minimal water input. A valuable source for climate-resilient gardens.
La Maison du Bananier (France)
Specializes in banana varieties such as Blue Java, Ensete, and Dajiao, along with other subtropicals like Pouteria lucuma.
Mesarbustes.com (France)
Great value nursery with unique offerings such as Maclura tricuspidata and Zanthoxylum armatum. Good value for money.
Palmeras Elche (Spain)
A specialized nursery producing in vitro female Phoenix dactylifera (Medjool date palms). English is not spoken, and stock is limited, but it’s likely the only European nursery offering verified female date palms.
Palmaverde (Netherlands)
Palmaverde offers a diverse selection of Mediterranean and exotic plants at very reasonable prices. Their catalog features rare and climate-resilient species such as Ilex paraguariensis (Yerba Maté), Solanum betaceum (Tree Tomato), Bixa orellana (Lipstick Tree), and Azadirachta indica (Neem Tree), among others. Notably, their shipping costs are surprisingly affordable — even for larger specimens, such as trees up to 1.4 meters tall — making them a great resource for growers across Europe looking to expand their edible and ornamental collections.
Pépinière Quissac (France)
Offers a wide selection, including many varieties of citrus, pineapple guava (Acca sellowiana), and pomegranates. The plants are high quality and reasonably priced. Anything you buy from them is sure to offer excellent value for money.
Rarepalmseeds (Germany)
A world-renowned seed supplier offering thousands of rare tropical and subtropical species. Growing from seed requires patience — often up to three years of care before transplanting — but ideal for dedicated growers. There are other seeds seller but it seems they are by far the best.
Rayon de Serre (France)
A standout French nursery focused exclusively on rare and edible plants. The trees are small (10–30 cm) but healthy and well-priced. Shipping to Portugal or any other European country is fast and secure. We’ve adopted many trees from them, such as Phyllanthus emblica, Ceiba pentandra, Cordia sebestena, and Ziziphus species. Orchard of Flavours also collaborates with Rayon de Serre, providing seeds and cuttings.
Vendita Piccoli Frutti (Italy)
Highly responsive and reliable nursery offering top-quality subtropical trees like Annona, Muntingia calabura (cotton candy tree), Syzygium cumini (Java plum), and Persea armeniaca (apricot). Excellent packaging and quick shipping.
Viveros Argania (Spain)
The only European nursery we know of offering the drought-resistant Argania spinosa. They provide excellent customer service and growing advice. Their website is very informative.
Viveros Brokaw (Spain)
One of Europe’s largest subtropical nurseries, specializing in Persea americana (avocado) and Mangifera indica (mango). Located in Málaga; in-person purchases only — no online sales.
Portuguese plant nurseries with a good choice, here in the Algarve (no online selling):
Geojardim (Luz de Tavira)
Good selection of plants and knowledgeable, expert advice from Helena.
Viveiro Batista (Luz de Tavira)
Offers a large variety of plants at very affordable prices. You’ll find avocado varieties, guava, citrus, olive trees, Cavendish bananas, and more. They have a big stock and provide basic advice — but it’s a great option if you're looking for low-cost plants.
Mil Plantas (Estoi)
This nursery is well managed and offers a good selection of food trees. English is not spoken, but Ana and Fátima will do their best to assist you. We're happy to see that, following our recommendation, they now always stock the Ziziphus jujuba tree (jujube).
Natura Garden Center (Almancil)
On the pricier side, but often features a well-curated selection of plants, including various citrus varieties.
Lima's Fruits (Faro)
An excellent Portuguese collector specializing in seedlings. The owner, José Frederico, is a true fruit tree enthusiast. He is Portuguese, speaks English, and a little French. With deep knowledge of fruit trees suited to warm climates, he is arguably one of the most experienced individuals in the Algarve when it comes to rare and subtropical species. Around 20 years ago, he began cultivating a diverse orchard near Faro, featuring fruit trees from around the world.
We are deeply grateful for his invaluable advice and proud to collaborate with him. Occasionally, he offers rare fruit trees you won’t find elsewhere. Some of the species he provides include: Casimiroa edulis (White Sapote), Diospyros digyna (Black Sapote), Dimocarpus longan (Longan), Pouteria lucuma (Lúcuma), Various members of the Annonaceae family. You can contact José after 7 PM to check availability and arrange a visit to view the plants.
What about you?
Do you happen to know of any great nursery in Europe which provides amazing edible plants from subtropical climates (or other rare delicious fruit trees!) and is not on this list?
Please tell us about it! Send a mail to miguel@orchardofflavours.com.