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Friday, March 18, 2011

Garden Visit: Majorelle Garden, Marrakech

General view towards the main buidings.
A couple of years ago Mark and I had a weeks holiday in the city of Marrakech in Morocco. Like many North African cities, Marrakech is a very busy and hectic place, with lots of traffic, people, sights and sounds. We stayed in an old converted Riad in the heart of the old city, close to the main square, Djemaa el Fna, around which the various traders, food sellers and famous souks are located.

Whilst we enjoyed the hussle and bussle of the bazaars, it was great to find a tranquil garden to visit, and Majorelle Garden was simply a delight. So much so that we visited twice during the week.

The garden was designed by the expatriate French artist Jacques Majorelle in 1924, during the colonial period when Morocco was a protectorate of France. The garden is famous for its cobalt blue walls, which are incredibly striking in the bright sun of Morocco, the actual shade used was made specifically for the garden and is now called "blue Majorelle".


The garden contains a superb arid section with some very well grown succulent plants.

The garden first was opened to the public in 1947, and in 1980 was purchased by Yves Saint Laurent, whose ashes were scattered in the garden after he died in 2008.



Cactus Garden with the house beyond.
Banana in flower

Like most gardens it is divided into different sections, from lush to arid, complementing each other well in this garden, and are such a contrast compared to the busy city outside the walls.

Majorelle Garden is one of the most beautiful gardens in the world, and a must see when visiting the city of Marrakech.


Gaz


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8 comments:

  1. Clive18 March 2011 at 16:43

    I loved this garden, especially the blue. Occasionally I fantasise about painting fences of walls blue but I think you need tremendous bravery to do this

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  2. Hazel18 March 2011 at 23:36

    I adore blue in the garden. I painted a fence in a small side garden blue once. Almost the same blue as the one in your pictures. It looked stunning. I might have to build something I can paint blue.

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  3. Gerhard Bock (Succulents and More)19 March 2011 at 00:12

    What a stunning place! Another garden to add to my "must-see-before-I-die" list. Thank you for sharing your photos and impressions.

    Gerhard
    :: Bamboo and More ::

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  4. HolleyGarden19 March 2011 at 01:46

    Love that blue against the garden! How stunning!

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  5. Jordan Jackson19 March 2011 at 02:40

    Love the garden. Hate the building. Even the blue doesn't make it palatable.

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  6. Gabriel Rochard20 March 2011 at 17:37

    This garden is a reference! Thanks for sharing your former trip.

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  7. Mark and Gaz21 March 2011 at 09:38

    I love that shade of blue, really stands out and complements the garden combined with the strong Moroccan sun.

    It's a stunning garden, definitely one of the best in the world :-)

    I think that shade of blue looks it's best in an area of a garden that's a sun trap. We painted some of our fences with a lighter shade of blue before, the effect wasn't that good and half regretted it. Not quite the same when applied on ordinary wooden fence panels where it is best blended away with neutral garden colours rather than make it stand out. It's all in the location I suppose :-)

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  8. Sue25 March 2011 at 02:20

    A very well maintain garden. All those Cacti and tropicals plants, it a paradise. Thanks, I enjoy looking at your blog.

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