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A Garden in Mallorca

Our garden lies on a steep, north-facing hillside at the edge of a typical and unspoilt Mallorcan village, and comprises about 4,000m sq. The land was terraced many hundreds of years ago to reduce loss of the meagre topsoil and to conserve the winter rains, and we have made use of these terraces to structure the garden into a series of different "rooms", so that as one climbs up the hill one sees a variety of colours and forms with the backdrop of the village beyond. The swimming pool is at the very top, allowing privacy for us and quiet for our neighbours, as well as stunning views around the valley to the surrounding mountains.

The soil is extremely alkaline, and because of the orientation of the plot the temperature can vary by as much as two degrees Celsius between the top and bottom terraces. The top level is frost-rimed most winter mornings, whereas the bottom is sheltered and warm, so we had to take that into account when choosing our planting. To the main garden we added many tons of good quality topsoil, and we irrigate with a leaky pipe drip system to reduce evaporation and discourage shallow root growth. As the plants have spread, so our water consumption has dropped, and many plants now provide shade for each other in summer.

We did not choose any particular colour scheme in our initial planning, preferring to leave the riot of colours to Nature to mix up as she pleased. The result is a vibrant, bright display, offset by cool green lawns and evergreen shrubs and trees. The main purpose of this garden was to provide a quiet place of contemplation for body and soul, and this has undoubtedly been achieved.

Strelitzia reginae, Wistaria sinensis.

Repeat-flowering, scented David Austin English roses.

Agapanthus 'Blue Giant' and A. 'Snowy Owl', Bougainvillea glabra, Phoenix
canariensis, Washingtonia filifera, Olea europaea.

Rosa 'Graham Thomas'(climbing) David Austin.

Genista aetnensis, Cytisus, Pistacia lentiscus, Olea europaea, Pinus halepensis

Rosa 'Silver Anniversary', David Austin.