In 1901 Professor Arturo Hruska, the Tsar’s dentist and well-known naturalist, arrived in Gardone, attracted by the special climate in the area. Between 1910 and 1971 he planted a botanical garden that extended for little more than 1.5 hectares. In it he had more than 500 species of plants from every continent and different climates: magnolias, Tibetan primroses, reeds of every size, iris and ferns, including the '"osmunda regalis". There is a huge variety of succulent and subtropical plants. Many aquatic plants float in small ponds with fountains and waterfalls typical of Japanese landscaping. There is also a lush forest of bamboo trees. Alpine flowers grown amidst the rocks, crevasses and small ravines.