Alhambra

So far the week has been quite productive, with almost all of the jobs that were planned being on target. A slight hiccup yesterday meant that a hedgecutting job for an elderly couple on Saturday morning must be postponed until next week, to make way for some turfing that couldn't happen. After the wonderful weather in Granada that we had, it's so typical of this country to now be seeing constant deluges of pouring rain, and last night yet more gale force winds, and so I expect today we will find lot's of rubbish down after the storm. Four places to do today, firstly a medium sized property will have the two of us weilding leaf blowers for an hour or so, the second, which is on the Sandbanks peninsula and under numerous pine trees, will no doubt need much of the same, but with the addition of a twenty feet long drain clearance that will be blocked with pine needles and sludge....lovely! Third will be somewhere that will require a large amount of hedgecutting and blowing, before finally returning to the modern house in Sandbanks, where we recently had some very large and futuristic pots delivered and will be planted and set in place.

 

And so now I return for the final visit to Granada, and that place of gardeners dreams, The Alhambra. t was incredibly hard to select just a few photos to put on here, as there is so, so much to see. The images of the gardens show just a fraction of what there is to see, and I have left out just about all of the building, The Alcazaba, Nasrid Palaces, Generalife and so on. But here is a taster, the rest you must all simply see for yourself one day! 

 

 

We had bought our tickets online, and after a steep walk entered by way of the Justice Gate, wondering what treasures lay within.

 

 

What became apparant almost immediately was the use of water everywhere. Not raging torrents and waterfalls, but gentle flows and soft fountains around every turn.

 

 

The views towards The Alhambra from The Generalife were breathtaking. Planting appeared to mimic the buildings.

 

An area of fruit trees was being created, where probably ten gardeners were working.

 

The Alcazaba, the oldest part of The Alhambra, and built with the purpose of defence in mind. A fortified giant with virtually no planting within.

 

 

As opposed to the visual tranquility of the rest of the place.

There appeared to be mainly just four types of plant used to create the backbone of the landscaping. Cupressus, Myrtus, Buxus and Euonymus. All trimmed to create a soft formality.

 



 

 

Amongst these, colour was obtained with the clever use of just a few main flowers. Celosia, Marigolds, Salvias, Canna's and Roses. There were of course many more plants to be seen, but the overall structure used these stalwarts that were able to survive the best.

 



 

Tiling in the first Nasrid Palace.

 

 

Parts of The Generalife.

 



 

A gigantic wall of Ipomoea

 

When visiting the Suleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul, I helped with the bedding schemes there, and I was going to ask if I could help with this hedgecutting when we returned for our second visit the following day, but alas they had moved somewhere else behind the scenes...another day.

 

 

 Eventually though, it was time to leave. Two whole days spent at this extraordinary place.

 

Thanks for visiting with me.