Moorish Garden - Tohono Chul Park...Moorish Garden Some of the world’s earliest pleasure gardens...
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Moorish Garden Some of the world’s earliest pleasure gardens originated in the Middle East, built as refuges from the surrounding desert. These gardens were traditionally constructed around irrigation channels and a central water reservoir in a foursquare pattern (called the charbagh by the Persians), considered today the basis for all formal garden design in the western world. Begun in the time of the Egyptians, refined by the Persians, and adopted by the Islamic world, these gardens came to represent a vision of Paradise, a walled and private space protected from the outside and filled with shade, color, abundance, and the sound of water. Working in a desert climate, the designers of these gardens were masters at maximizing the effect of water in the landscape. The original water reservoir transformed into a central, cooling fountain. Color and pattern, in the form of ceramic tiles and carved stone, overcame the limitations of long dry seasons when plants were not in bloom. Traditional plantings included cypress, sycamore, and almond, interspersed with pomegranate, fig, and citrus. Jasmine, lilac, and rose provided fragrance, while iris, tulips, and lilies completed the color palette. The simplicity of this foursquare plan, its strong structure and formality, delineates this walled space. The off-center fountain references the original charbagh but leaves room for outdoor living in a limited space. Although simplified, the tile, paint colors, and wall stenciling reference traditional elements of desert gardens from Spain to India. In this Sonoran version, the cypress is replaced by alligator bark juniper, the sycamore by Mexican blue oak, and the almond by a native peach. Fragrant flowering plants include Arabian jasmine and roses. Non-natives were selected in this instance because no substitutes were available and both are appropriate for the oasis zone. Conversely, rain lilies, blue creosote, and other natives provide the color. Garden quotes: Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all. — Stanley Horowitz Nature is not a place to visit, it is home. — Gary Snyder A garden is made up of stories, not things. — unknown Hardscape Concrete walls of 4x4x16 slump block (Old Pueblo Brown AZ Block 2000 color ) capped with clay roof tiles Freestanding wood trellis patterned after Moorish arches in Seville, Spain Wall colors: Cobalt Blue and Whisper (Dunn Edwards) Above grade glazed ceramic fountain head and basin set on “tiger-eye” pebble-covered metal grill set over underground water reservoir Patio surface of rectangular and square snap-cut flagstone pavers in “recs and squares” pattern with inset detail of tile and “tiger-eye” pebbles (Horner Rust, Tierra Stone) Stuccoed and tiled CMU seat wall capped with snap-cut flagstone pavers ( Azul , Gold , and Ruan Pour crackle-glazed, patterned tiles, Mexican Tile Company) Stuccoed CMU wall with cut clay pipe stacked in window openings; custom stencil (Cook & Co. Signmakers) Large, glazed ceramic planters (Pottery Blowout) Wall inset and freestanding landscape lighting (FX Lighting)
Transcript of Moorish Garden - Tohono Chul Park...Moorish Garden Some of the world’s earliest pleasure gardens...
Moorish GardenSome of the world’s earliest pleasure gardensoriginated in the Middle East, built as refuges fromthe surrounding desert. These gardens weretraditionally constructed around irrigationchannels and a central water reservoir in afoursquare pattern (called the charbagh by thePersians), considered today the basis for all formal
garden design in the western world. Begun in thetime of the Egyptians, refined by the Persians,and adopted by the Islamic world, these gardenscame to represent a vision of Paradise, a walledand private space protected from the outside andfilled with shade, color, abundance, and the soundof water.
Working in a desert climate, the designers of thesegardens were masters at maximizing the effect ofwater in the landscape. The original waterreservoir transformed into a central, coolingfountain. Color and pattern, in the form of ceramictiles and carved stone, overcame the limitationsof long dry seasons when plants were not inbloom. Traditional plantings included cypress,sycamore, and almond, interspersed withpomegranate, fig, and citrus. Jasmine, lilac, androse provided fragrance, while iris, tulips, and liliescompleted the color palette.
The simplicity of this foursquare plan, its strongstructure and formality, delineates this walledspace. The off-center fountain references theoriginal charbagh but leaves room for outdoor livingin a limited space. Although simplified, the tile,paint colors, and wall stenciling referencetraditional elements of desert gardens from Spainto India. In this Sonoran version, the cypress isreplaced by alligator bark juniper, the sycamoreby Mexican blue oak, and the almond by a nativepeach. Fragrant flowering plants include Arabianjasmine and roses. Non-natives were selected inthis instance because no substitutes were availableand both are appropriate for the oasis zone.Conversely, rain lilies, blue creosote, and othernatives provide the color.
Garden quotes:
Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summeran oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all.
— Stanley HorowitzNature is not a place to visit, it is home.
— Gary SnyderA garden is made up of stories, not things.
— unknown
HardscapeConcrete walls of 4x4x16 slump block(Old Pueblo Brown AZ Block 2000 color )capped with clay roof tilesFreestanding wood trellis patterned afterMoorish arches in Seville, SpainWall colors: Cobalt Blue and Whisper (DunnEdwards)Above grade glazed ceramic fountain headand basin set on “tiger-eye” pebble-coveredmetal grill set over underground waterreservoir
Patio surface of rectangular and squaresnap-cut flagstone pavers in “recs andsquares” pattern with inset detail of tileand “tiger-eye” pebbles (Horner Rust, TierraStone)Stuccoed andtiled CMUseat wallcapped withs n a p - c u tf l a g s t o n epavers (Azul,Gold, and Ruan Pour crackle-glazed,patterned tiles, Mexican Tile Company)Stuccoed CMU wall with cut clay pipestacked in window openings; customstencil (Cook & Co. Signmakers)Large, glazed ceramic planters (PotteryBlowout)Wall inset and freestanding landscapelighting (FX Lighting)
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Moorish Garden Plant List
KeyA - accent CN - container GC - groundcover PA - palm T - tree ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ - generally available in Tohono Chul Park GreenhouseB - bulb F - fern GT - grass/turf SU - succulent V - vineC - cactus G - grass P - perennial SH - shrub WF - wildflower
3 Acalypha stachys Rasberry fuzzies 0.6 x 1 GC L M ✔✔✔✔✔23 Aquilegia chrysantha Golden columbine 1.5 x 1 P WF M H ✔✔✔✔✔29 Asclepias subulata Skeleton milkweed 2 x 1.5 P A L ✔✔✔✔✔33 Astrolepis sinuata Wax-leaved star fern 2 x 2 F A M H43 Brahea armata Mexican blue palm 30 x 10 PA M H ✔✔✔✔✔44 Brahea elegans Elegant palm 6 x 6 PA A M H ✔✔✔✔✔54 Carex tumerericola Berkley sedge 0.75 x 1.5 G GT M H98 Guayacan coulteri Blue creosote 5 x 5 SH L M100 Heucherea sanguinea Coral bells 0.6 x 1 P GC M H ✔✔✔✔✔101 Hesperaloe parviflora Red yucca 2 x 4 A L ✔✔✔✔✔109 Jasminum sambac Arabian jasmine 6 x 6 V SH H114 Justicia candicans Mexican honeysuckle 4 x 4 SH M H ✔✔✔✔✔126 Merremia aurea Gold coin vine 12 x 10 V L M ✔✔✔✔✔153 Prunus andersonii Arizona peach 12 x 8 T SH L M155 Punica granatum ‘Nana’ Dwarf pomegranate 4 x 3 SH M H156 Quercus oblongifolia Mexican blue oak 30 x 30 T M H161 Rosa ‘Flutterby’ Flutterby climbing rose 4 x 8 SH V H167 Ruellia brittoniana Ruellia 2 x 2 P M H ✔✔✔✔✔175 Salvia clevelandii Chapparal sage 4 x 5 SH L M ✔✔✔✔✔181 Salvia greggii ‘white’ White autumn sage 3 x 3 SH M H ✔✔✔✔✔184 Salvia greggii ‘Furman’s Red’ Furman’s Red sage 1.5 x 2 SH M H ✔✔✔✔✔206 Telosiphonia brachysiphon White trumpet 1 x 3 GC CN M H ✔✔✔✔✔
