Escape the grey of the UK take a short flight to Morocco and indulge....

As a designer refreshing my mind and exposing my soul to vibrant colours, different cultures, patterns, textures and light helps to inspire and cultivate new ideas for my projects.

Exposing the mind to different experiences is a wonderful thing...

this is my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

and so I packed myself off to Morocco on Boxing day after cooking for 13 wonderful guests on Christmas Eve and my gorgeous family on Christmas Day.

Feeling a little worn out, a bit grey, a bit tired out from planting 5 gardens this autumn, a bit bogged down with lots of new design projects lined up and in need of some vitamin D and some inspiration.

I also needed to escape the january sales, rubbish tv and too many calorie loaded chocolates.

Am I feeling SAD
(Seasonal affective disorder), I think so....

It just so happens we are also designing a Moroccan themed garden in Chelsea for a swedish client and so what better time to escape the grey of the UK, the cold and dark nights and visit a wonderful third world country that is vibrant, exciting,warm and refreshing, 'I love morocco'

and so here's my inspiration, a palette of vibrancy collected on my travels, I'm now feeling revitalised and ready for our Greencube new year:

We (my husband Mike and me) spent 4 days in the foothills of the magnificent Atlas Mountains, staying at The Capaldi, a big thank you to Tara and Edward and their wonderful team. Go visit, you will not be disappointed. http://www.thecapaldi.com/the-capaldi/#about

We walked in the most landscape changing scenery through Berber villages, deserts and pine forests, birdwatching and relaxing, before 2 days of research and garden visiting in Marrakech:

the rich colours in the soil are seen in the materials, objects and building colours

Our first garden visit was to the Secret Garden, La Jardin Secret in the walled medina in the centre of Marrakesh.

Spiky Aloe striata planted and contrasting with fluffy Deschampsia

ground covering Bulbine frutescens

amazing craftsmanship

lavandula planted with Stipa en masse

painted panels and doors

the rill leads your eye down to the vibrant painted building at the far end, the secret garden in the centre of the medina in marrakech a gem of a garden that we visited twice, second time for a second look but also just to escape the madness of the mopeds, the fumes and the crazy vibrant city. Designed by Tom Stuart-Smith my hero.

hand painted tiles sold in the souks

we then moved onto the Yves Saint Laurent Garden, Jardin Majorelle

what a queue but worth it, filled with exotic planting and vibrant colours, azure blue, yellows and orange

am I over-using the word vibrant, I can't help it.

we then moved onto the Bahia Palace

The last stop was the Mamounia Hotel, wow what an amazing garden, filthy rich in contrast with its surroundings.

But what captivated my heart was the natural beauty of the landscape, I have left the best 'til last, enjoy, this is my second trip to Morocco and very special.

I love morocco x

Sculpture in the garden, greencube designs a sculptural ball garden

I'm still out taking photos of all the gardens that have been constructed in the last year and last night I visited our clients in Borough Green, Kent to photograph this garden. We designed the terracing around this very beautiful home and picked up on the existing buff coloured stone detailing that formed the sills and frames around the doors and windows. A complimentary colour of yellow granite was finally chosen (Yellow Granite paving from CED) and a sculptural border of yellow granite balls (from Rock Unique) underplanted with Ilex crenata balls and Libertia grandiflora. Oak benches and oak arches have also been included and some division of zones created by deck laid flush with granite. This scheme fuses well with the house and setting. I will return in August to take further photos when the garden furniture is in place and hopefully get some night shots, lighting not yet fully completed at time of visit. Greencube planted this garden in two phases, the trees, ro

Practical storage solutions in our gardens in Tunbridge Wells and Folkestone

Storage in a garden is a common requirement but often forgotten or positioned too far away for practical use. Greencube have installed solutions in 2 of our gardens this year without the need for an ugly shed. The built in seating has doubled up as a great practical storage solution so that the cushions, hand tools and firewood for the brazier are readily available.

But my favourite is most definitely the Telegraph Garden

Designed by Cleve West, a magical space with walls retaining at seat level, so wherever you walk you can pause, sit and enjoy, I managed to gain access to Cleve's garden and even had a brief chat with him. I loved it even more once in the space. The star plant at the show for me is most certainly Dianthus cruentus, with its crimson flowers which looked wonderful in amongst the cotswold stone, with its elegant stems and deep red flower. The statuesque columns, the wonderful dry stone walls and planting that had space, looked natural and certainly did not look like it was only planted a week ago!!!! The play with water with the water pipes and channel through the garden with stone stepping stones, all beautifully executed and inspirational.

greencube garden and landscape design, UK

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