GARDENS of the world

Up close and personal with the most memorable gardens in Morocco and Spain.

- Mike Booth

Up until 12 years ago we lived in an apartment in Sydney with a balcony and three pot plants. I certainly didn’t see myself as a gardener. It wasn’t until I started to fill my balcony with bonsai trees and other plants, and then finally deciding to buy a farm, that my passion grew in leaps and bounds.

I would feverishly read lots of gardening books and magazines and see many references to great gardens in the UK, such as Highgrove Gardens, Kew Royal Botanic Gardens and Hidcote, and marvel at their beauty.

But it wasn’t until I had our garden at the farm, which had lovely bones, that the real journey started, and the realisation that there was a big gap between a pretty picture and making it relevant and possible for my garden. I had never thought about the soil, water, climate or planting styles with texture, colour and layering.

It was at that time that a landscape designer who assisted us with our garden suggested that I start to visit local gardens to help understand what grows best in my area (cold climate gardening).