Spanish Mission Style Courtyard

One of the most difficult things about garden design is knowing where to start, unless of course the property has an identifiable feature or style which can be used as a basis for the landscaping. Don talked to Colin Brown about his courtyard design for a Spanish Mission style house. Spanish Mission style developed in America after the 1845 Mexican War. It was originally a reinterpretation of buildings built by early Spanish missionaries, and influenced other forms of architecture including the California Bungalow.

Colin has managed to create a fantastic Spanish ambience in the courtyard, which now features a wall fountain with Spanish inspired tiles, and plantings of cacti and succulents reminiscent of a Santa Fe garden.

How it was done

After levelling the area, the fountain was constructed. Using the architectural features of the house as inspiration, the back of the fountain was carved from Hebel. It was then rendered with a sand/cement mix and painted to give an aged bronze look. The infill panels are made of tiles in blue, yellow and green. The fountainhead is a diamond carved from Hebel to replicate the diamond motifs on the existing arches. The surface of the courtyard is brown decomposed granite to give an arid feel, and to complement the succulent and cacti plantings.

Contact information

Colin Brown, Garden Designer.
Phone: (02) 9417 5820

Book mentioned

The Gardens of California - four centuries of design from Mission to Modern, by Nancy Goslee Power, published by Thames and Hudson. Available from Florilegium Publishing (02) 9555 8589. Cost $35.

Copyright CTC Productions 1999