[simonmark]

Here's a garden for all those visiting the Costa del Sol this year, or planning a city break in Malaga (or indeed.... all those already living there  .

The PARQUE de MALAGA, also known as the "Paseo del Parque", is an area of lush green planting, rather bizarrely located in a busy urban environment, right in the heart of Malaga city. Once described as being amongst the "third tier" of important botanic gardens in Europe, it has over 100 years of history and offers the visitor a fascinating selection of tropical, sub tropical and Mediterranean trees, shrubs, palms and herbaceous specimens.

The Parque occupies a narrow linear area, next to the harbour. Both it and the harbourside have undergone an impressive redevelopment during the past few years - there is some stunning architecture and smart modern landscaping to view in the adjoining "Muelle No.2", along with newer plantings. Over on the inland side of the Paseo del Parque there are more traditional rose gardens and (steep) hillside walks up to the castle with its panoramic views. A pleasant area for the day tripper or for those just passing through the city.

In 2011 I received an RHS COKE TRUST BURSARY to help part-fund a brief report into the history, planting, design and redevelopment of the Parque de Malaga. I submitted the document, but I felt frustrated at the lack of information available to tourists and horticulturalists about the area. So over the past few months I've had the time to go back over all of the notes I'd gathered and the 100's of photos I'd taken, and set up an internet "blog" to try and make as much of this information as possible publicly & freely available.

It's a "work in progress," and I am constantly adding new photos, pieces of history, botanical and anecdotal stuff as I go along. I plan to add a map (I completed a border by border survey, highlighting 125 major plantings and many other smaller, repeated trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plantings). There were also a few plantings which I struggled to identify.....I will set up a "plant ident." section shortly, and I would appreciate the help of MGS supporters on this one  ! (I am a Gardener working in the UK - I freely admit that I am no expert on Mediterranean & tropical plantings. This whole excercise has been a great learning experience and part of the purpose of the blog is to welcome the opinions - and corrections - of others...)

Please feel free to take a look & check for updates. I hope it is of help to anyone planning a visit Malaga - I certainly have another visit scheduled for May 2013.

http://www.parquedemalaga.wordpress.com

       

 

[Alisdair]

Thanks very much for that, Simon; really interesting, and as you say the link to your blog is well worth following!

[David Dickinson]

Thanks for sharing this. Great to see a plant list.

Seeing the arial view made me think of the Villa Comunale in Naples, Italy:

http://www.incampania.com/EN/turismo.cfms=4&Menu_ID=175&Sub_ID=178&Info_ID=3957

and, if you want some pictures including an aerial shot, (some of them somewhat depressing e.g. the rubbish situation)

https://www.google.com/search?q=villa+comunale+napoli&hl=en&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=2ZM2UanbL8amPZ72gOgH&ved=0CDsQsAQ&biw=1241&bih=606

Just think what could be done with that space with just a little imagination, a little money and somebody with your own highly commendable enthusiasm to get true recognition for what is available to anybody with a minimum of effort. And then to replant it and turn it into a true botanic garden and thus the new botanic garden of Naples!

The existing Naples Botanic Garden is little known to many but well worth a short visit for anybody in the area. If anybody is in the area, then NEVER leave out the fantastic "La Mortella" in Ischia. All the worse for you if you do! http://www.lamortella.org/en/
 
http://www.ortobotanico.unina.it/AE/index.htm#14

Thanks again and good luck with your project   

[simonmark]

Alisdair, David, many thanks for your comments, I appreciate it.

Seeing the arial view made me think of the Villa Comunale in Naples, Italy:

http://www.incampania.com/EN/turismo.cfms=4&Menu_ID=175&Sub_ID=178&Info_ID=3957

and, if you want some pictures including an aerial shot, (some of them somewhat depressing e.g. the rubbish situation)

https://www.google.com/search?q=villa+comunale+napoli&hl=en&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=2ZM2UanbL8amPZ72gOgH&ved=0CDsQsAQ&biw=1241&bih=606

Just think what could be done with that space with just a little imagination, a little money and somebody with your own highly commendable enthusiasm to get true recognition for what is available to anybody with a minimum of effort. And then to replant it and turn it into a true botanic garden and thus the new botanic garden of Naples!

.

Great photos of the Villa Communale - there is an uncanny similarity in the aerial shot as you say. I've travelled all over Spain but (for shame) never been to Italy; maybe the challenge of learning Italian after many years trying to understand Spanish is a step too far !

I'm a self employed gardener and, yes, I have an interest in garden design and the use of public space, probably at "mature student" level, shall we say ! The area that really interests me is the Spanish (or Mediterranean) tradition of the Paseo Maritimo- the idea of a pleasant seafront walkway; a communal area where one can go for a stroll and "take the air." In the UK of course we have our tradition of the "Promenade" with its Victorian bedding schemes and Torbay palms (although there are many more imaginative designs thesedays, often using local hard landscaping materials and wind & salt tolerant plantings) but the British climate often doesn't encourage a "stroll" by the sea !

In the Med. obviously the climate provides a lot more scope for tropical, subtropical and mediterranean plantings and for creating well designed, attractive public areas which complement a more outdoor lifestyle in that part of the world (I would say). One figure I have seen is of some 230 of these areas around the Spanish coast. I've actually done a bit of research into the history, development & planting of a couple of these areas - the Explanada de EspaƱa/Parque de Canalejas in Alicante; and the Paseo Maritimo at Santander, Cantabria (which obviously is Atlantic and Temperate; not Mediterranean). The gardens of Cesar Manrique in the Canary Islands would be another example of this creative use of public space, but there are many more.

As you say David, one characteristic of these gardens is that they often exist in built up city areas, and they have to cope with the pressures of tourism, pollution, traffic schemes....and litter. A team of dedicated Parks Dept. staff is essential to upkeep these sites, and this I know is the case in Malaga. Furthermore, the geography and topography is usually always a narrow, linear area between a city and the sea, and this challenges the imagination of garden designers I guess !

If I can get some information or links together on the above (especially the history of the Alicante Paseo Maritimo) I'll be happy to post it here. Any updates I'll let you know - I'll definitely have some more photos in May 

[simonmark]

Just to let everyone know that the local authorities in Malaga (namely the "Area de Medio Ambiente y Sostenibilidad") have finally got around to producing an excellent, itemised MAP OF THE PARQUE de MALAGA, which is available to view and download...

http://www.parquesyjardines.malaga.eu/portal/menu/portada/portada

Click on the link at the right of the page  - I hope it's of interest.

The map is useful, and a long overdue aid to the visitor ! On a personal note I'd just revisited the Parque in May and (in between work commitments) I was attempting to draw up my own map of the area for my "blog" when this map was published  .... Ah, well !!

However, perhaps the interesting fact is that whilst the "official" map lists 74 specimens (about a dozen or so I hadn't been able to identify or locate), my own survey listed, say, another 30 to 40.....So between the two I can hopefully now draw up a more comprehensive plan of the area....I'll post something here when it's finished.

In the meantime I've added a fair few new photos to the blog (more to come soon) and even found a couple of new plant idents. for MGS forum readers amidst the newer plantings in the Parque - I'll sort out a link for these soon  .

 

[Alisdair]

Really useful, Simon; thanks! (For armchair visitors, as well as real-life ones.... )

[simonmark]

As promised, here's a direct link to a map and plant list detailing 129 of the major plantings in the Parque de Malaga.

http://www.parquedemalaga.wordpress.com/trees-of-interest

...And here's a link to a survey and map of all of the fascinating monuments and statues in the area.

http://www.parquedemalaga.wordpress.com/statues-and-monuments

As mentioned in the posts above, I'm continually adding bits of information as I find them (and the Parque changes through the seasons) so any comments, corrections or advice are welcome.

I'll be in Malaga for at least a month this Winter from December 10th, meeting a few contacts I've made through doing this project, before moving on to Seville, hopefully. (Giving up my flat in the cold north of England  ). If anyone is visiting the city during that time feel free to drop me a line, I'd be happy to meet up for a coffee and have a wander around the Parque  .   

[Alisdair]

What an impressive piece of work, Simon! Thanks very much for posting the link, your annotated map will be a great help to visitors (and of course helps to whet the appetite for a trip to Malaga....)