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THE SECRET GARDEN This month after enduring the recent summer heat I intended to write a piece on the importance of shade in our gardens. We all use our outside space so much more than we would in our own cold northern European countries and it always seems a shame not to enjoy these areas on a hot summers day rather than seeing the cool of the interior of our houses. Although built structures such as pergolas are effective there is nothing better than walking under the canopy of trees and shrubs, using planting to define and cool your garden rather than hard walls and cement structures. As I was thinking through my ideas for the article, a friend Tim, asked if I would like to help him find a garden, near Loja, that dated back to 1789. What made it sound even more fun was he only had a vague idea where it was and that it was only open to the public for two hours on a Wednesday morning. It sounded like an adventure so we headed off. |
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We asked local people directions and after a couple of miss-turns we found it fairly easily, only to discover groups of workmen and huge building works in place just outside the garden gates. The foremen shook his heat to our request of seeing the garden but after a little persuasion he asked the owner who happened to be on site, who waved us in.
The house and garden had belonged to a General Ramon de Narvaez, whose statue you can find in Loja. He was an enormously powerful general during the 1800´s, during the reign of Isabel II and served as prime minister five times in over two decades. During his era, the guardian civil was set-up as a rural police to control banditry.
The house was being re-built, although it seemed
with care, conserving original tile work and features. The gardens too
seemed like they were being rejuvenated although there was more than enough
existing to be absolutely captivating. The grounds seemed a mixture of
Moorish, renaissance, and Romantic styles. More than a dozen pools and
fountains could be found g lines of bamboo and screens of hedging and
trees. Large bay leaf shrubs had created a wonderful ´room´
with openings along the sides out towards bubbling fountains. The water
features were weathered and old, they looked like fairy grottoes, some
were adorned with shells just visible through the moss.
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The grand pieces of the garden were a line of enormous cypress, huge phoenic palms and a towering pine - still looking fantastic after their two hundred years of life in the grounds. Nispero, kaki, apple and orange were amongst the fruit trees to be found. Cannas, agapanthus, lilies and roses added a burst of colour. Two giant magnolias had recently flowered and must have looked amazing. The grounds were cool and shaded, lots of different rooms and corridors built by using plants and trees, giving it an air of secrecy and intimacy, allowing it’s inhabitants a chance to enjoy the garden throughout the year unhindered by the heat. I read that General de Narvaez had a violent temper and could imaging this was where he could come to cool down a little! The garden de Narvaez was and exceptionally wonderful find and I’ll keep true to its sense of mystery and secrecy by only saying its somewhere on the old Loja road! I hope you find it. Amanda Del Campo Plants |