I was away from SOS last week as I was travelling in Spain and yes the power outage did have some impact but fortunately the visit to the Alhambra in Granada was not affected. I came back to find my garden had exploded in to action. All those planting spaces that were so clear in March have now been elbowed out by new growth and I now wonder where I will squeeze in the seedlings currently in the greenhouse. I’m sharing from the Alhambra this week. It provoked some thoughts, in many ways it seemed so English to me. Box hedging, roses, irises, wisteria, pansies, alyssum, all so familiar but the use of water, the architecture and the air so heady with the scent of citrus flowers made it all so very different. Tightly clipped myrtle was used in many places where a crisp medium high hedge was required. It worked well. Here’s my six.
One
White wisteria creating a shaded walk at the start of the gardens of the Generalife.
Two
Further on, blue wisteria mixing with a yellow climber that I didn’t identify! Too early for mimosa I think.
Three
There where so many places where water played in the sunlight, I have to share two here.
Four
Here, both sides of a central water feature with a multitude of colourful plants.
Five
In contrast to the more formal planting contained inside edging there were also some loose meadow style borders.
Six
Finally, oranges. They were everywhere, lining the streets of Granada, in cloisters of monasteries and all around the Alhambra site. Wonderful.
I realise I haven’t shown the use of standard roses and the various underplanting ideas or anything from the Los Jardines del Partal with it’s beautiful reflecting ponds. There’s just too much!
In my garden the roses are just beginning to pop. The alliums are out and the later tulips are going well. My plan for the weekend is tidying up the stems of the tulips that have finished and sowing some French beans and courgette seeds. Nothing too energetic here but there will probably be some bindweed digging in my daughter’s garden, it is of course loving the warmth. Jim, our host will be ruminating in a most informative manner and there are the other SOS links to enjoy. Have a great gardening weekend.
n20gardener 
What a beautiful garden! Brilliant! I am in awe of the water treatments.
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I have no water features and would love to have something as extravagant! Dreams!!
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How lovely to share your trip from my armchair! I too love the water features and those oranges! Just wow!
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I wish I could have shared the scent. Just amazing.
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The orange tree looks like a sour orange, such as those used for marmalade. They may be more common than sweet oranges as ornamental trees, such as street trees, because they develop better form, and are alluringly fragrant in bloom. They are rare here because not many know what they are. I am trying to grow some from cuttings of a tree that I found in a client’s garden.
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That is so interesting. I’m sure you right. A monastery we visited was selling marmalade. The oranges we had at breakfast were the sweetest ever. Nothing to match them in our supermarkets.
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Like stone fruits and pomme fruits, some citrus fruit that is available from supermarkets may have been harvested while barely ripe. It is tougher and more resilient to the rigors or transportation that way. It ripens more in transit, but is not quite the same as tree ripened fruit.
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The city of Granada and the alhambra is truly a wonderful place. I remember going there with my wife around 1995, and I regret not going back yet. It will probably be on the agenda next year or the year after! Thanks for sharing these wonderful photos. You must have been there at the same time as my sister-in-law, that’s funny!
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How funny. There was a group of French people staying at our hotel!
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After wanting to visit the Alhambra since I learned about it in 1980, my husband and I made a fleeting visit in 1992. Returning for a longer visit was high on my bucket list, and in September last year we spent a whole day there, so your lovely pictures brought back very happy memories.
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We asked AI to plan us an itinerary for the day which suggested that a whole day there would be appropriate. I’m so glad we followed up on the idea. It really was a pleasure to roam around without feeling the pressure to move on.
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It’s a fabulous place. My daughter and I had a day trip there in 2002. We were staying in Algeciras and went by train. Lots of orange trees there too.
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Tony Tomeo has explained that the orange trees are likely to be sour oranges which are best suited as street trees and which are strongly scented. So interesting.
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Sour as in Seville oranges? Not for eating, but for cooking?
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Yes. Good for marmalade he said.
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It’s been a good number of years since I’ve been to the Alhambra & Nasrid palaces. It was the stunning architecture that I loved above all else. It’s a really unique place and one that everyone should have the opportunity to visit. Lovely to see your photographs of one of the central water features and the planting. Thanks for sharing!
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I’m in complete agreement with you. I’d happily go again.
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