Ceratonia Gardens

Ceratonia Gardens is a herbal centre for healing and education located in São Bartolomeu de Messines, in the Algarve region of Portugal. Founded by medical herbalist Daisy Mae, who qualified in 2004 and has since worked as a full-time clinician and facilitator of learning, the project has grown—together with her partner Corey—into a dedicated space for reconnecting with the natural world. The gardens are home to an abundance of wild flowers, bushes, and mature Olive, Carob and Almond trees, alongside carefully designed medicinal areas such as Calendula's Garden (arranged around the Chakra system), the Enchanted Garden, the Medicine Wheel honouring the Seven Directions, and the newly created Apothecary Baths. The mission is to grow plants that nourish and regenerate both the earth and its people, protecting the ecosystem while enhancing the natural beauty of the land. Throughout the year, Ceratonia hosts a variety of herbal classes and events, ranging from guided garden walks to full-day herbal workshops and a five-day residential immersion for herbal students and practitioners. These experiences combine over twenty years of clinical herbal practice with a lifelong passion for plants, weaving together botanical, horticultural, medicinal and spiritual knowledge. Visitors of all levels, from beginners to experienced plant enthusiasts, are welcomed to learn about plant identification, medicinal uses, and the deeper spiritual connection to nature that underpins the project's philosophy.