Teotihuacan native landscape

 

Visiting the splendid pyramids of Teotihuacan in Mexico is an unforgettable experience. But how many people sees the Piramide del Sol through the beautiful native species garden? It is a matter of attention, of finding different points of view.

The garden is around the Museum and it has ancient sculptures as well. It is worth to take all possible paths, even though I found the difference of levels is not fully accessible.  I'm sharing some of my pictures of the site from May 2025, please do not share without my permission. 

The landscape of the Norton Simon Museum

The Norton Simon Museum is celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year and it deserves a post.

I visited this Museum in 2023 with my son, who is a professor of Fine Arts at Boston University, and highly recommended me to enjoy the art and of course, the gardens. The gardens were redesigned by Nancy Goslee Power in the late '90s 

The day was cloudy and the pictures are not helpful with the real tones of green. 

The pond containing different species of aquatic plants, takes most of the space; there are paths with old trees of huge branches, along with seats and various sculptures. I am sharing here some of the pictures I have taken this day.

What I've learnt today is that there is an improvement project going on:

 "While the overall look and feel of the garden will be maintained, important repairs will take place, necessitating the closure of the garden for much of the year. The garden will close on January 7, 2025".

A view along the pond, the Museum at the end of the perspective. Myriam Mahiques' personal archives, 2023.

A view across the pond, the Museum at the far end. Myriam Mahiques' personal archives, 2023.

A sculpture next to the pond. Myriam Mahiques' personal archives, 2023.

One of the paths, with sculptures, bushes and trees. Myriam Mahiques' personal archives, 2023.

My favorite tree, with branches across the path. Myriam Mahiques' personal archives, 2023.

Flowers and a sculpture along the path. Myriam Mahiques' personal archives, 2023.

Getting closer to the Museum. Myriam Mahiques' personal archives, 2023.

For what I see in the 3D renders, the renovation of the landscape by  the firm SWA, apart from technical improvements, will add more accessibility and color, which I think was needed. Regardless my pictures on a cloudy day, one can see that the overall tones are currently green and brown. 

To read about the garden improvement project:

https://www.nortonsimon.org/about/exterior-improvement-project-2025/

Rendering of the Museum’s Sculpture Garden, courtesy of ARG and SWA. Downloaded from the museum's web page.

Just monochrome wild grasses as landscape design

 

Seattle Waterfront is being renovated and this year, apart from completing public buildings, new landscape and hardscape design has been added. I've been following up the renovation since the demolition of the old freeway in 2019.

This landscape design seems very interesting to me, in its Minimalism and the use of just monochrome wild grasses at the entrance of a building which I presume it's a restaurant. 

I am sharing these pictures to show the beauty of even the minimum use of species. The pictures belong to my personal archives, June 2024.

Central courtyard garden at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

I had the pleasure of visiting the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (Boston, MA), on the second day of Spring 2024. I am sharing here some of the pictures I have taken of the central courtyard garden, which is covered by a glass roof and has a classical symmetrical design with some ornaments (sculptures, a fountain, ceramics). It is mostly a foliage garden, at least at the end of Winter. 

This is a stunning view and I regret to say, visitors are not allowed to walk into the courtyard. 

(Do not reproduce the photos without permission).

From the museum's web page:

"Gardens, both interior and exterior, are an integral part of the Gardner Museum experience today. When Isabella built the Museum, she created an experience that was as much about flowers and plants, artfully arranged, as it was about masterpieces of art. The culmination of that vision is the Courtyard but botanical images can be found throughout the Museum."

 To see some of the flowers, you can access to the following link:

https://www.gardnermuseum.org/experience/courtyard

"Throughout the year, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum’s always-blooming Courtyard is transformed through a series of ten dramatic seasonal displays that reflect Isabella’s passion for gardens as well as the skill and dedication of the Museum's horticulture staff. From orchids to nasturtiums to Japanese-style chrysanthemums, there’s always something new to discover thanks to the changing seasons and the rotation of plants. Most of the plants for the Courtyard are grown in the Museum’s temperature-controlled nursery and trucked to the Palace location, where they are rotated in to keep the displays in peak condition."

Regarding the architect Renzo Piano's wing addition, it looks interesting from the architectural point of view, but the landscape didn't pick up my attention, though I have to clarify that the trees were not blooming yet. The thin trunks are somehow similar to the thin posts in the entry roof, I can't tell if it was intentional.

Here I am sharing three of the pictures I have taken:

What is a trellis? The beauty of a trellis

 

A touch of red color flowers in combination-contrast with the green trellis.

When we offer a client to design a "trellis", most of the times they ask what it is. A good synonym is "lattice". A trellis is a light-frame construction, with posts (usually 4"x4"), light roof rafters across and very thin 1x or similar, perpendicular to those rafters. Most important, the trellis is not a solid roof, the main purpose of it is to support climbing plants, to hang them, provide shadow, and create a dramatic effect of textures, light and shadows.

Some trellis are free-standing in gardens or as part of the hardscape, others are beautiful to enclose porches or delimit paths.

Though it is a decorative installation, sometimes it may require structural calculations, if the span is long and specially if the framing is attached to a house or any other main building.

It means the construction of a trellis might require a City permit, depending on the conditions and design.

I am sharing some photos that I have taken of my favorite trellis so far. The green one is at the Rancho lLos Cerritos, Long Beach, CA, and the next one is at the Sherman Gardens and Library in Corona del Mar, CA.

All photos belong to my personal archives.

A fantastic Wisteria in full bloom is hanging from the Rancho Los Cerritos trellis. 

The path is well defined here, and we see the light at the end of the dark perspective. We are invited to walk and follow the direction. A sort of "virtual" enclosure is proposed on the side with a light lattice. See the lattice is discontinued, which adds informality according to the (controlled) wilderness around.

The tortuous trunks on the left are intertwined with the posts.

It is interesting to move our point of view and enjoy the effects of the light and shadow in the perspective.

Needless to mention how much dramatism is added to a hanging plant. Sherman Gardens.

This was part of the Halloween Decoration in the Sherman Gardens. Floating vertical "spider webs" in combination with the upper grid.

This trellis in Sherman Gardens is combined with brick supporting elements and alike grids as a virtual enclosure. The restaurant is on the right side. See how the posts are much wider, due to the important overall size of the trellis.

The game of light and shadows. The doors are built alike.

Ferns are located in this fantastic path full of textures. Sherman Gardens

The beauty of a foliage garden with ferns, palms and huge leaves under the front trellis at the Sherman Gardens. See how the sides are also enclosed with the grid, and there are two openings to allow passage through.

Another example of a trellis-porch: the entrance at the former OCMA Museum in Costa Mesa. From my personal archives, March 2019. 

A trellis inside the roses garden, South Coast Botanical Garden, Palos Verdes Estate. Personal archives, April 2024.

A trellis inside the roses garden, South Coast Botanical Garden, Palos Verdes Estate. Personal archives, April 2024.

A trellis inside the roses garden, South Coast Botanical Garden, Palos Verdes Estate. Personal archives, April 2024.

Colorful wood fence

I have taken these photos at the Fullerton Arboretum, July 2021. I like the colors display against the green, a happy difference from the typical white fence.

My favorite one is this below, with the branches across, the big leaves and lots of textures on the ground. The addition of color is a nice idea for the foliage garden, specially when most of the planting is green.

All pictures by Myriam Mahiques, personal archives.

 

Alluaudia Procera - Madagascar Ocotillo

Alluaudia Procera or Madagascar Ocotillo looks like a piece of art to me. I was not quite sure if this one was Alluaudia Comosa, given they are so similar, and it is also confused with the Ocotillo.

After some research, I have concluded that this is Procera. 

Anyway my intention was to show the sculptural characteristics of this succulent in front of modern architecture, and all the texture that was added to a plain building.

The pictures belong to my personal archives, 2021. See how beautiful the succulents garden of this building at the San Diego Zoo looks with the combination of round bushes of Money Plant and low ground covers Sea Fig or Pig Face.

The Money Plant enclosing the Alluaudia Procera, adding volume to the group.

Here, the Madagascar Ocotillo in combination with more cactus and succulents, along a path.

On the left and at the end of the succulents path, an Acacia is depicting a turning point. 

Here is a macro photo of the Acacia, the succulents in a lighter green tone behind.