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Garden Tour: Mediterranean Texture and Colour Revive a Dull Plot
See how a neglected, scrubby patch of land became a beautiful, flourishing garden with areas for work, rest and play
The garden of this villa in El Escorial, Madrid, was very neglected. Wanting a space they could enjoy with family all year round, the owners found landscape architect Fernando Nájera on Houzz and asked him to redesign it. A year later, there’s a radical difference – exactly what they were looking for.
The garden now offers a variety of different spaces that all stand out in their own way, particularly the four raised vegetable planters the owners enjoy tending. The paths through the plot invite you to stroll quietly, pick fruit from the trees, relax with a drink, or enjoy a swim in the pool while surrounded by beautiful colours.
The garden now offers a variety of different spaces that all stand out in their own way, particularly the four raised vegetable planters the owners enjoy tending. The paths through the plot invite you to stroll quietly, pick fruit from the trees, relax with a drink, or enjoy a swim in the pool while surrounded by beautiful colours.
Fernando says the garden has created a distinct ‘before and after’ for this house. “Before, this garden was practically abandoned and detracted from the beauty of the house, which looked as if it was built on an esplanade,” he says.
The owners found and hired him on Houzz and he used features from Houzz Pro to manage the project. It helps him “keep track of customer requests, registrations and calls”, he says.
The owners found and hired him on Houzz and he used features from Houzz Pro to manage the project. It helps him “keep track of customer requests, registrations and calls”, he says.
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Let Houzz find the best pros for you
Fernando believes some houses need to be enhanced while others need to be more subdued. In this case, the new garden surrounds the house, making it shine. “I’ve designed a garden with many areas, but it doesn’t give the impression of being fragmented. It’s a very lively and useful space for its owners,” he says.
Find a garden designer on Houzz today.
Find a garden designer on Houzz today.
With any design, it’s essential to define how the garden will be used in order to organise the spaces and achieve fluid transitions.
“The larger a garden is, the more difficult it is to harmonise the empty spaces with the planted ones, as well as the relationship between footpaths and non-traffic areas,” Fernando says.
A large garden also needs a meticulously well-thought-out concept. “From the choice of plant species to irrigation and maintenance, all are factors to be taken into account when planning a garden of this size,” he says.
“The larger a garden is, the more difficult it is to harmonise the empty spaces with the planted ones, as well as the relationship between footpaths and non-traffic areas,” Fernando says.
A large garden also needs a meticulously well-thought-out concept. “From the choice of plant species to irrigation and maintenance, all are factors to be taken into account when planning a garden of this size,” he says.
The owners specified that they wanted to enjoy the garden year-round, from winter to high summer.
Fernando was briefed to include a pool with a small grassy area; a generous space for a vegetable garden and other edible vegetation; a couple of spaces for lunch or dinner, and a quieter place for reading or working.
Furthermore, it was necessary to connect these spaces, avoiding major changes in elevation, but clearly marking the transition from one space to another.
Fernando was briefed to include a pool with a small grassy area; a generous space for a vegetable garden and other edible vegetation; a couple of spaces for lunch or dinner, and a quieter place for reading or working.
Furthermore, it was necessary to connect these spaces, avoiding major changes in elevation, but clearly marking the transition from one space to another.
The owners love the new vegetable garden, which, with its four large raised beds, produces a harvest almost all year round.
Another space the owners enjoy is this transition area to the lawn, which is a naturalised garden with a large variety of plants. They include aromatics such as lavender, sage and Helichrysum (curry plant); ones that add volume, such as rosemary, Phormium and Teucrium fruticans; and others that introduce colour, such as Stachys, Gaura and Kniphofia, a bulbous plant known for its bright colours and rocket shape.
In addition to providing pleasant aromas and some volume, aromatic plants and grasses aim to minimise the need for watering and are easier to maintain. Fernando says that, in general, the garden is maintained and landscaped by the owners, although a gardening company takes care of keeping weeds at bay, pruning ivy and mowing the lawn.
“It’s feasible to take care of about 50% of the maintenance for such a garden by dedicating a couple of full days a month,” he says.
The original garden. The work went on for about a month, with additional projects being completed later.
The owners enjoy the pool area in particular (designed by Fernando, but built by another company). The access from the porch of the house is handy, and it’s surrounded by lovely planting.
The swimming pool obviously does use water, but to offset this to some extent, careful attention has been paid to excessive water use in the rest of the garden.
“The section of the garden that contains aromatics and shrubs needs very little water; even the vegetable garden doesn’t need much,” Fernando says. It’s a sustainable garden, and even this year [2023], we estimate using much less water, given that the plants already have deep roots.”
More: How Do I Create a Drought-tolerant Garden?
“The section of the garden that contains aromatics and shrubs needs very little water; even the vegetable garden doesn’t need much,” Fernando says. It’s a sustainable garden, and even this year [2023], we estimate using much less water, given that the plants already have deep roots.”
More: How Do I Create a Drought-tolerant Garden?
Seen here is the fruit orchard. Only the lawns – a small one in the front garden and another around the swimming pool – need a little more water than the other areas, although the grass variety used is more rustic.
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“Whether for a large or small garden, it’s vital to think about sustainability. However, sustainability is a much-overused word,” says Fernando, for whom “watering just enough is sustainability, but so is promoting tree groves and not overusing impermeable paving, whereas abusing synthetic materials is not.
“It’s essential to choose the plant species in accordance with the natural climate of the location and to use locally sourced materials,” he continues. “In other words, water consumption is an important factor, but not the only one to be taken into account.”
Tell us…
Which elements of this garden have inspired you? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
“It’s essential to choose the plant species in accordance with the natural climate of the location and to use locally sourced materials,” he continues. “In other words, water consumption is an important factor, but not the only one to be taken into account.”
Tell us…
Which elements of this garden have inspired you? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
Who lives here? A married couple who wanted to enjoy the garden all year round with their children
Location El Escorial, Madrid, Spain
Size 1,200 sq m
Designer Fernando Nájera of Aleza Nájera Paisajistas
Project year 2022
Budget €38,000 (around £33,000) excluding VAT; swimming pool construction €30,000-€35,000 (around £26,000-£30,000)