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Corridor Atlantic Beaches > San Clemente del Tuyú > Tours and Activities

Visit to the Cosme Argerich Plant Nursery

Pablo Etchevers

Settled over the dunes, this beautiful plant nursery is the pride of the locals, as it mingles the beautiful and the useful. In addition to being a tourist attraction, it supplies local owners with trees. A site worth visiting.

Visit to the Cosme Argerich Plant Nursery

How the Story Began

Compañía de Tierras y Balnearios del Tuyú SRL received the lands owned by the Leloirs as a donation and began to divide it into lots in 1935. The great mass of sand in permanent movement made the place difficult to be accessed on a vehicle. Therefore, the construction of a road was arranged for before the road system office.

A solution to the traffic inconveniences was attempted by building a 70 to 75-centimeter-long asphalt layer starting at the beach. But shortly afterwards, once more this road was covered by loose sand brought by the surrounding live dunes.

Thus, the very road system office requested intervention by the agriculture, cattle and industry office of the Province of Buenos Aires.

And in 1935, dune soil consolidation works were started under the direction of expert agronomist Francisco Quinteros, along with 5 workers, with few economical and technological elements, and the only experience provided by the Florentino Ameghino Plant Nursery in Miramar.

Another contributing character in those days was the manager of the El Tuyu estancia, don Federico Wisky, who would selflessly provide horses, meat, milk and everything necessary to survive in such a inhospitable and deserted place.

Sowing the Seeds

These works would consist in sowing the dunes with alfalfa and other fixative species, covering them with esparto grass, very common in the area, and carrying out an abundant forestation of various species.

In the year 1936, according to the report published in the Anuario Rural de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, the following specimens were planted:

- 20 500 hectares of Myoporum
- 37 000 Italian popplars
- 5 000 Carolina willows
- 20 000 white popplars
- 10 000 crack willows
- 4 000 quinces
- 60 000 branches of garra de león
- 164 aguaribay
- 1234 pines
- 2500 eucalyptus
- 1400 cypresses
- 610 western redcedar

Specimens of Myoporum still exist on the access road, although they are scarce. In the sports field, there are white popplars, crack willows and aguaribay specimens. On the adjacent street, eucalyptus may be found. There are also some cypresses left close to the reproduction beaches. The most ancient specimen is located near the keeper's house. There is a group of pines to both sides of the main path, another group surrounding the storehouse and several others within the municipal park.

At present, the Cosme Argerich Plant Nursery occupies an area of 36 hectares, spreading 406 meters along the Atlantic coast, to the South of the City of San Clemente del Tuyu. There is a 27-hectare forestated area.

It is said that “The Future Begins Today…”

At present “the plant nursery”, so called by settlers and tourists, is a city pride for San Clemente.

Apart from the plant nursery itself, where all kinds of trees are sown, taken cared of and extracted everyday, the venue has workshops, houses, a beautiful trail across the forest and an information office.

A sports center, where various sports such as tennis, football, artistic skating, boxing and volleyball are practiced, is another alternative available in this place.

Among its main attractions, we can find:

-The Immigrants' Garden:
Located behind the information office, where plates commemorating the pioneers of the district and its surroundings may be appreciated.

-The Itatí Chapel:
Built in February, 1986, it is located in the heart of the plant nursery. It receives this name after the place of origin of the first keeper.

In addition to being one of the most visited sites during the summer season, the plant nursery produces about 25 thousand plants annually, which are distributed among all the inhabitants of the district of San Clemente del Tuyu, between May and August.