Morita Garden, Argentinean Patagonia
Close to San Martín de los Andes, the garden is part of a private land of approximately 300 hectares. With a beautiful view of the hills, it is an open space sloping towards the Chimehuín River, which has a strong presence due to yellow willows that grow spontaneously on its shores and the sound of its waters. A place rich with native vegetation and a predominance of cypresses, radales ( lomatia hirsuta ), maitenes ( maytenus boaria ), ñirres ( nothofagus antárctica ), coigües ( nothofagus dombeyi ) that become lost in the distance. The design is basically meant to repair the wounds caused by the construction of the owners’ house, and restore a new order that would integrate the architecture with the untouched landscape. It is not about reconstructing the place as it was originally, but to incorporate other elements in order to maximize the richness of the landscape. Spatially the garden is formed only with native tree species, supporting the
existing plantations and with a variety of shrubs and smaller plants, including exotic and indigenous species, to direct the more relevant views and determine the dimensions and qualities of each of the spaces. The large space in front of the house becomes the heart of the garden, considering that the most breathtaking views to the magnificent natural landscape run through it. The treatment of this area is to create a free roaming lawn, from where it is possible to access the river, the lookout points, the secret rose garden and eventually watch and care for the species planted in the garden. In order to integrate the maitenes, cypresses and existing radales that were left isolated, the curved lines of the meadows surround them, echoing the shadows of their crowns. This way the areas for shrubs and smaller plants are defined. The plants are integrated with the overall landscape through their texture and color, especially in autumn when they turn red like the existing native species.
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