La Majorelle

I’m revisiting this beautiful garden again with photos I’m finally completing from my archives, why did I forget about this beautiful garden?  Oh well, I’m glad to rediscover this treasure of Le Jardin Majorelle and the home of Yves Saint Laurent in Marrakesh.







The front entrance has these pink stucco walls with interesting layered and carved motifs fronting a simple fountain. The reflecting pool is lined with beautiful blue, purple and green mosaic tiles and a marble fountain base. It felt very welcoming and intrigued visitors to come into the bamboo grove  with colorful pots in primary colors.







The tall culms of bamboo with colorful pots draw you further into this oasis, I’m shocked to see a whole grove of bamboo in this more typical mediterranean and desert environment.








The collection of cactus and succulents is impressive with large and mature specimens offering large sculptural vignettes.  Here visitors have placed their marks on some cactus away from the usually pestering guards wandering around.







Tall palms and desert cactus give a more realistic appeal to the exotic Moroccan topography.









The signature blue color predominant all over the gardens and villa and gives
Le Jardin Majorelle  instant recognition with its famous blue color.






Totally loving the huge yellow pots with the all blue fountain adding to the exotic
allure of this amazing place.







An enticing courtyard with sitting areas invites you to lounge and admire the views.







More natural sculpture found in the garden.
















Here, the signature Majorelle blue predominates this walled garden and is filled with the
heavenly scent of brugmansia or angles trumpet.












A large water lily garden creates layered vistas through the entire garden and all the amazing palm collections growing in the gardens. Its easy to sit on the many benches and contemplate the scenery unfolding before you.









YSL loved his dogs and created many montages that became posters and Christmas cards,
here’s one of my favorites of his dog Moujik.







I’m wearing blue as a tribute this this amazing place, even though its not Majorelle blue.










One of my favorite vistas with a hint of blue from the villa with striking yellow curtains.






Lots of blooms happening with various cactus, here I’ve capture gorgeous blooms from this magnificent specimen.





So glad to discover these photos again and relive my visit to this alluring garden, hope you also enjoyed the tour of Le Jardin Majorelle.

Emeryville Community Garden

While visiting family in Alameda, I happened onto this sweet community garden in Emeryville.



Titled ‘Big Daddy’s Complete Rejuvenating Community Garden, City of Emeryville’, this place really puts a smile on your face. The founder who is an artist and professional welder, placed many colorful and whimsical structures throughout the garden, adding a fresh and funny twist to this wonderful garden.



They grow huge sunflowers in this garden bed.




All the flowers and vegetable beds are built up on beds with amended soil placed in, irrigation lines are placed for daily unsupervised watering of the beds.





This beautiful tulip pagoda, caught my eye immediately, I loved the color combination and whimsy of this piece, wish I could take this home with me to put in my garden.









Flowers and vegetables are placed into the mixed beds and create colorful arrangements.






A combination of follies and imaginative towers create height  and whimsy in this garden.







Sculpture add modern elements to this section of the garden, the red gate type structure behind has a string of butterflies placed into the design.










Wildflowers like these naturtiums, salvias and catmint bloom in planters and other beds throughout the garden.








This poultry prison filled with plastic hens, made me chuckle – I loved seeing humor sprinkled throughout the garden.







A side detail of the foul prison and the caged birdies.






I love these metal sculpture pieces, creating another graphic element to this section of the garden.





Fresh vegetables ready to be harvested, the beautiful colors add all the art in the garden.






Interesting shadows spill onto the concrete next to these nasturtiums and gazania.









There used to be an auto body shop located on this spot called ‘Big Daddy’, hence the name of this zany garden.






Certain areas are cordoned off in chicken wire to prevent domestic animals and other wildlife from entering.






A wall of these beautiful black eyed susans line this wall and adding a punch of orange.



This was a fun visit. I’m sure it must be wonderful place for the community to join in, trade or share their harvest and stories. I would have loved to meet more of the gardeners enjoy talking about their love of gardening.

A Visit to Exotic Marrakesh

Enjoy the tour http://issuu.com/noelmorata/docs/marrakesh

From Barcelona, Marrakesh is under two hours by air and crossing the narrow channel of the Mediterranean sea, you are drawn into a new and exciting world in North Africa.