Marbella: ciudad de inspiración botánica

Photograph by Annabel Davis

What is it about Marbella, Spain, that makes coming home to my own city so drab? Perhaps it's the vibrant culture, the spicy music, the fabulous street vendors or the delicious food. More than any of these delightful things I'm inclined to think it's the gardening! Every alleyway, square and white terra-cotta house seems to be covered in greenery. It's literally one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. Red-flowering vines drip from balconies and windows, pots full of flowers burst near every entryway and vibrant green shrubs and trees grow along every street. Everywhere you look there's evidence of just how much the Spanish love their flowers.

I wish every city decorated like this (especially mine). It gives things a more rural, natural feel. I always felt at home in Marbella. Spain in general has lots of this gorgeous gardening and in my opinion America could import a little more of this vision.

This summer I want to try growing some of this vision on my fire escape/deck (yes, for me they are one in the same). The drab alley it faces could use a little loving.

Photo by Hakan Bilgiseven

Flowering vines are very popular on the streets of Spain. It seems the flower of choice for balcony vines is one that took me a little research to find: Bougainvillea,* a thorny shrub/vine native to South America. It produces gorgeous red to pink flowers and can grow up to 40 feet long! When I was in Spain this plant was thriving in every balcony and window box. You can see it in the photo to the right here, blooming bright red on a balcony and rooftop. I'm hoping to try and grow some up my own "balcony" if I can.

The other vine/plant I commonly see is one called Lantana camara which has a gorgeous scarlet and yellow umbel flower (read more about inflorescences at the link below). It's gorgeous and I'd love to grow some of this plant out back as well. So many ideas, so little time.

Another popular flower is the geranium. These I'm sure you've seen around at the grocery store and whatnot. They're not uncommon locally nor are they uncommon on the Spanish streets. As you can see in the photo below there are some lovely and creative ways to utilize them.

Photo by Marc Anderson

Additionally I think that the Clerodendrum speciosum flower would look gorgeous in the Spanish gardens.  It's scarlet flowers with long anthers give beautiful contrast to its deep green leaves.

I should probably mention that the pomegranate, which is the national flower of Spain, is also popular and quite beautiful. You can see my posts on pomegranates to learn about their nature and growing them.

All these plants are commonly red or pink and as you might notice from the photos above this is what you'll see on the Spanish streets. With a few pots and some fence or railing for them to climb and/or decorate you can have your very own Spanish balcony/fire escape or yard decor.



Additional Resources:
Read more about inflorescences (flowering patterns)