Among my pleasures when traveling is the chance to visit new and interesting gardens. In Marrakech, the premier garden to explore is the Jardin Majorelle, the premier garden in town.
A Brief History of the Garden Marjorelle:
In 1917 Jacques Majorelle, a painter from France, moved to Marrakech to convalesce after a period of poor health. He fell in love with the city, bought a plot of land, and in time built an art deco villa painted the brilliant blue color you still see today (which he patented and named Bleu Majorelle). In 1931 he started planting a garden on his property with over 135 species of plants from five continents, but his real passion was Orientalist painting. In 1947 Majorelle opened his gardens to the public, charging a small fee to help pay for the upkeep and maintenance of the property. Majorelle sold the home in the 1950s during a messy divorce, and the property fell into disrepair.
In 1980 the Marjorelle property was saved from being sold to hotel developers. Fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent and his partner, Pierre Bergé, bought the home and garden. They restored and improved the garden, bringing the number of plant species to over 300. The pair spent time at Jardin Majorelle until Saint Laurent’s death in 2008 (his ashes were scattered in the garden). The property was then transferred to the not-for-profit Foundation Pierre Bergé – Yves Saint Laurent, allowing continued public access to the property.
Visiting the Garden:
Our tour group was lucky in that we were able to gain access into the garden a half hour before it formally opened to the public. It was early dawn and there still was not much light outside, but that was a fair trade off for a chance to explore the garden in relatively private manner.
The Majorelle Garden receives more than 800,000 visitors annually and while it has been well thought out, it is relatively small (about 2 hectares). It is surrounded by a wall, so you need to pay to see it. Tickets are available online and these passes provide you timed entrance to the garden.
Features of the property include:
Majorelle blue Art Deco house, now a Museum of Berber culture which also has a display of some of Marjorelle’s paintings. The house is the iconic symbol of the garden.
A Lily pond which provided wonderful reflections in the early morning light….
There are several other water features on the property as well:
The following photo was used as last weekend’s One Clue Mystery photo. It was recognized by George G — congratulations as always, George!
One of the most notable features of the garden are its vibrant colors along the walkways.
The garden has a large variety of cacti and succulents. Take a look at some of these beautiful specimens:
You’ll also see an assortment of palms, bamboo, and a variety of rare and exotic plants growing within the garden or in pots surrounding it.
As you would expect, an urban oasis of this type is home to an assortment of bird species….
A touching feature in the garden is a memorial to Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge….
If you visit:
sThe garden is located on Rue Yves St Laurent, Marrakech 40090, Morocco. Timed entry Jardin Majorelle tickets must be booked be booked online.
The Jardin Majorelle is open every day of the week, from 8:30 a.m to 6 p.m. The last entry is at 5:30 p.m.
Adjoining the property is the Yves Saint Laurent Museum, which requires a separate entrance and which I did not explore. The property also has a gift and book shop, and terrace cafe (shown above).
So beautiful. You did an excellent job of showing the garden with your photos! Interesting read, too.
Thank you for your kind comment, Marilyn. The garden does a good job selling itself.