From Spain with Love!

A few days ago I posted some pictures from a trip to London ... but, I saved the best for last ... SPAIN! I only spent a week in Spain split between Barcelona and Alicante.  I never imagined how much I would fall in love with the mediterranean.  Ever since I have been dreaming of olive trees, canary island date palms, aloes, terraces, and the works.  I know it has certainly fuelled my gardening passion and hopefully it will inspire yours as well!  (it also makes such a cold drizzly day on the West Coast feel a little bit warmer!)

Orange trees in Barcelona

Agaves and aloes look even better with bright blue water in the background!!!!

Simple and beautiful!

I love how mediterranean gardens incorporate so many artistic touches like these great tiles!

Scene from Park Guell

nothing screams mediterranean quite like a beautiful bougainvillea!

garden oasis on the hillside in Park Guell

I LOVED this! the columns make the agave look even sharper!!!

I wish we could grow date palms in the PNW!

The Explanada in Alicante ... a date palm lovers dream :)

maybe my mediterranean fan palm will look like that one day?!? (I think it would require some serious global warming!)

Even the churches have gardens!!!

My other passion.... Great food!

lavender seems so much nicer when you're in the mediterranean... it suits the rugged and arid look of its surroundings. (don't get me wrong... I still like lavenders in the PNW)

A view I could get used to!

Who new I loved lantana so much!?!?! Spain did!

All of this is to show and is to say that its great to get out and be inspired!  There is such a joy and such a rush of visiting a place for the first time and falling in love with its surroundings.  The mediterranean opened my eyes to a world of beauty and spectacular plants (many of which can be grown in the PNW!!!!) It's so fun to come back and incorporate bits of that inspiration in the garden!