Garden project in the Alpujarras, Andalucia, southern Spain

Plenty of outdoor space to relax in at Cortijo Opazo and a beautiful garden to enjoy in all seasons.

An important ambition of ours at Cortijo Opazo is to create a garden for others to enjoy.  Carmens, courtyards and enclosed gardens have been a key feature in the lives of people in Spain throughout history and few can  fail to have heard of the fabulous 'Generalife' gardens at the Alhambra Palace in Granada. Most houses in Spain are clustered in villages and towns and do not have the space to enjoy roaming in a garden full of flowers and shrubs.  In this area, the Alpujarras, many of the local population set a high regard on the art of tending the land and making it fertile.  Irrigation water is highly prized and zealously used to grow a wide range of vegetables and fruits for the table.  Flowers may be grown for cutting and decorating churches, but flower filled ornamental gardens are hard to find.  It is our ambition to create one at Cortijo Opazo.

The Start

Cortijo Opazo is situated at a height above sea level of 1250 metres and enjoys a distinctive climate.  The summers are long and hot, but in winter temperatures  go below freezing on a regular basis.  This means that whilst we can grow a wide range of plants that enjoy sun and heat we cannot rely upon the survival of frost tender plants.  One of the attractions, however, of planting a garden in the Sierra Nevada mountains is the plentiful supply of irrigation water running throughout the summer from the melting snow in the high mountains.  This water is fed to us through a series of irrigation channels known locally as 'acequias'.

We started planting the garden in June 2004.  The land occupies 1.2 hectares in all, but our plan is to limit the amount we develop each year to that which is manageable.  The whole area is terraced, giving us beautiful stone walls against which to grow plants.  The shapes of the terraces are long and thin in places which tends to dictate the overall feel of the garden.  There are no real boundaries between our land and our neighbours, most of which is used for grazing sheep and goats or the growing of market garden crops. 

Our aim for the first year was to establish a formal garden close to the house, moving away to a more free flowing feel the further you get away from the building, with an all important vegetable garden at the furthest end, an area that appeared to have an abundant supply of water.  During the first summer we marked out the beds, planted key trees, shrubs and hedging, and tried to learn all we could about the intricacies of the irrigation system.  Water seemed to be in plentiful supply, but arrived at our land via the acequia at random times, often inundating us.  Our prime concern was actually how to channel this water away from many of the plants so that they did not become waterlogged or have the soil washed away from their roots.  Any hope of planting just a small area of grass was dashed as the seed floated away.  But the warmth and moisture ensured that the garden got off to a good start and we were able to have cut flowers all summer long.

The First Winter - 2004/5

The winter of 2004-2005 was not a good time to develop a garden in Spain.  Even though we live at a high altitude and snow fall does occur it seldom settles for any length of time.  In February and March 2005 on two separate occasions we experienced heavy snowfall that lay deep for several days.  We were snowed in and were without power for some of the time.  After the snow fall, brilliant blue skies made for dazzling scenery.  During this cold snap, however, we experienced temperatures of as low as minus 8 degrees centigrade.  Tender plants that were in pots were placed close to the house, but to no avail.  Palms, bougainvillea and geraniums all succumbed to the frost and the garden looked bare once more.  During these months the work outdoors centred around laying paths, building steps and putting in an ornamental pond.  It was too cold to sow grass seed or to propagate without a greenhouse so we awaited spring with eagerness.

Summer 2005

Early in April 2005 winter came to an abrupt end and Summer started.  The Spring we had awaited passed in a matter of days, the sun grew hot and clear blue skies became the daily norm.  The land quickly dried and the watering season began, earlier than in previous years.  This meant that the acequias started to flow, but everyone told us that there was not enough water to last the summer out.  Jobs we had saved for Spring had to be carried out in a hurry.  Grass seed was finally sown, but much of it withered in the heat or was carried off by ants.  Colour sprung up everywhere as the wild flowers of spring mixed with the blooms of summer.  Watering became our main obsession during the months of June, July, August and September as each week the stream in the acequia became less and less.  As it turned out there was enough to last until the rains of October came, but it was doubtful at times.

With sufficient water and an abundance of sun many plants did very well.  Penstemon bloomed from April to November whilst Delphiniums carried their flowers all summer long.  Cosmos from the previous year self seeded all over, brightening every border, and Verbena Bonariensis colonised any space that was remaining.  Shrubs and trees put on steady growth, those receiving the most water reaping the greatest benefit.  Nicotiana Sylvestris seeded wantonly and their grand and curious flower heads bobbed in any breeze that blew.  The success of some plants puzzled us, the Pyrocantha hedge quadrupled in size whilst the row of Virbirnum Tinus either refused to grow, or withered and died.

The summer of 2005 turned out to be one of the driest on record and a serious drought afflicted much of Spain.  We were pleased to be able to nurse our young garden through these conditions and felt that if our plants could survive and thrive in this driest of years then a normal year would see spectacular results.  But the rains of October were feeble and by November serious concerns were being expressed about the possibility of another dry winter.  We have been told that the Sierra Nevada provides plenty enough melting snow water for the Alpujarras to survive one year of drought, but it remains to be seen what will happen if 2006 is dry also. 

Winter 2005/06

Although the autumn of 2005 was a warm, dry one, winter arrived towards the end of November with the first snows falling on the high mountains in time to open the ski resort for the all important Spanish holidays at the beginning of December.  From then until the end of February the weather was more like you would expect a winter to be, a good steady supply of rain or snow and temperatures below freezing at night.  Mixed with this were glorious days of clear sunshine and sufficient warmth to allow the shrubs and trees to put on steady growth.  At last the small area of lawn we have planted had enough water and the right temperatures to put in an appearance, and before the winter was over we were mowing it once a week.

Our main project during this season has been to build some retaining walls behind which we have created planting pockets of various different sizes.  On one side of the house three terraces have been constructed alongside a stone staircase, which will allow plants to tumble from one level to another.  It is in this area that we have planted out acer palmatum.  Our first two acers died; we suspect this was due to the shock of transporting them to a high altitude that is both dry and hot.  Our third and current tree has been nurtured for a year in a pot on the shady side of the house and looks strong enough to plant out.  We'll have to make sure, though, that it receives plenty of summer water.  Along the front of the house we have built a 15 metre retaining wall complete with buttresses, and clad it in natural stone.  Behind this we have planted euonymous, and phormiums to ensure it looks good all year round, plus wisterias and climbing roses which will colonise the stone pillars at the front of the house and make a dramatic impact when in flower.

Other than this we have been visiting more plant nurseries throughout the Granada and Malaga area and have a pretty good idea of what is available to buy - quite a limited range.  We have been ordering seeds of much loved plants, shrubs and trees from the UK and starting to make more definite plans of how we want to develop the garden in its next stage.  Water will continue to be a chief concern, and to this end we have received permission from the Junta de Andalucia in Granada to construct a new water deposit - we hope to start work on this in March.

By the end of February, although the weather was cold and the almond blossom still to open at our altitude, all flower beds are weeded, all shrubs are pruned, all herbaceous plants are cut back.  We and the garden are eagerly awaiting the arrival of Spring.

Spring 2006

This was fabulous. The warm weather arrived slowly and gradually, allowing all the spring bulbs and flowering plants to reveal themselves in full, unhurried glory. Rain fell at regular intervals and sufficiently enough to replenish much of the water stocks. One colour after another arrived in the garden with the yellows of the daffodils and forsythia, to the crimson of the tulips and the cobalt blue of the aquilegias. Lupins towered above every bed whilst the tall, slug free delphiniums majestically stole the stage. The plants that fought valiantly against the drought of last year triumphed in the moist warm spring of 2006, giving us an inkling of how special a well tended and well watered garden could be in this part of Spain. But we did not allow ourselves to become complacent about the level of rainfall. With planning permission at last received we set about constructing a large reservoir or 'alberca' on a terrace above the garden to allow us to collect and distribute water during the dry months of summer. It was obviously going to take the two of us a great deal of hard work and would not be ready for summer of 2006.

Click to read on about our progress in:

Summer 2006 into the winter of 2007

Spring into summer 2007

Late 2007

Garden concerts

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