granada gardens

The Alhambra and Generalife gardens in Granada, Spain are the most famous examples of Moorish garden style (and also the most visited). However, like the palaces around which they were built, they have been altered over many centuries. The exterior of the palaces have remained plain and austere and the column arcades, fountains with running water, and reflecting pools are used to add to the aesthetic and functional complexity. As a garden designer one hopes to be fortunate enough to make a pilgrimage here once in a lifetime…

continuous water

We’re drowning here in Southern Germany! The past four weeks it has rained non-stop and at the check-out counter of my local gardening center almost everyone in line included a box of slug bait. Yes, it’s very green but even if it were to stop raining, the garden is inaccessible due to extreme slugginess!

Amazing to contrast this with the dry Southern Spanish climate we recently visited where water is the central feature of most of the designed gardens. It’s difficult to imagine we would desire the sound of water here but a pond seems like a good idea to house some predators for those slugs. But as garden fashion goes…crucial in the design of any ‘water feature’, is the sound of the trickle. Without being too descriptive, you don’t want it to sound ‘human’ unless it is the point of the feature (think: Manneken Pis).

Here are some examples of quiet, meditative water gardens;

palace gardens

The Alcazar Palace gardens in Seville are a true paradise within a bustling city. No wonder the Spanish royals still stay here when visiting! The gardens combine both Islamic elements (water fountains, rills, and geometric tile) and Renaissance elements (hedges and parterres). Although construction of the site began in 913 AD the gardens obviously date to a much more recent time.

With so many ‘garden rooms’ within, it was surprisingly easy to find a quiet space away from the hundreds (!) of strolling visitors and I was able to photograph some unobstructed views.

snowy hofgarten

One of my favorite gardens to stroll in Munich is the Hofgarten next to the Residenz (palace). An Italian style Renaissance garden it is known for its colonnade with fabulous acoustics for live musicians and an endless amount of sunny spots for a lunch break. Unfortunately the fountains are covered (almost all fountains in the city are covered with elaborate wooden structures to prevent from freezing) but I prefer this garden any time those awful annuals are not planted.

fountain man

I love this little man and his watering cans! I discovered him in the courtyard of the Münchner Künstlerhaus.

His expression is priceless but so is the sound of trickling water. My search for a European fountain to import to my own NJ courtyard continues…