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The MGS Garden at Sparoza

The MGS is a small society financed chiefly by members’ subscriptions which is hugely lucky to have at its disposal the garden at Sparoza. The Sparoza estate is owned by the Goulandris Museum and the Custodian and the Garden Assistant live in the house. The MGS has sponsored the garden since 2000. The garden has a quiet but steadily growing reputation in the gardening world, its renown not reflecting grandiosity or expense but rather its philosophy of matching the aesthetic sensitivity of the gardener with the limitations and opportunities offered by the difficult and typically mediterranean conditions of this Attica hillside. It is, in other words, a place where beauty and climate compatibility go hand in hand. To read more of the history of the garden see below.

Members of the MGS are very welcome to visit by arrangement throughout the year. The Custodian, Sally Razelou, or other local members will guide you round. Email to make an appointment in advance so that one or other of them can be available. They regret that unannounced visits cannot be accommodated, nor can appointments be made for Sundays. Thursday mornings between September and the end of June are particularly recommended for visits so that you can also meet the volunteers who work from 10 a.m. to 12 noon and be invited to share their post-work refreshments. The garden is close to the Athens airport and can easily be reached by airport buses or car.

The garden is not open to non-members or to tour operators.

	An Introduction Articles from TMG No.45 The Mediterranean Garden No 45 was dedicated to the MGS garden at Sparoza and three of the articles are reprinted in full here.
	The Sparoza Plant List A list of the species grown at Sparoza, indicating the type of plants and their location in the garden.
	Rainfall and Watering at Sparoza A report by Sally Razelou of the rainfall since 2003, and of water consumption since 1999, with a list of plants that receive no summer water at all. (Photo by François Travert.)
	Sally Razelou, Custodian of the MGS garden at Sparoza An interview with Diana Farr Louis. Photographs by Davina Michaelides.
	Sparoza Volunteers An occasional chronicle of the volunteers’ work at Sparoza. You can get to know the MGS garden at Sparoza more intimately by becoming a volunteer. Work on a Thursday morning from 10.00 to 12 noon under Sally Razelou’s guidance. Contact Vina Michaelides for more information.
	A Guided Tour You are invited to visit the MGS garden at Sparoza. You'll find a a plan of Sparoza and seven videos illustrating various parts of the garden.
	History of the garden at Sparoza A history of the garden and its development since 1983, by its curator Sally Razelou. (This is an abridged version of pages 233 to 244 in the new edition of Making a Garden on a Greek Hillside, by Mary Jaqueline Tyrwhitt.)
	Sparoza Blog A Year in a Greek Garden, by Isabel Sanders. Isabel, who was the student gardener at Sparoza from September 2013 to June 2014, blogged her discoveries throughout the year.
	A Diary An occasional report of the plants in the garden and the work being done beginning January 2008.