Morocco in Bloom

Morocco in Bloom is a celebration of the beauty and richness of Moroccan flora. Author Giuppi Pietromarchi shares her deep-rooted passion for the designs and plants of the contemporary Moroccan garden. The famous Jardin Majorelle in Marrakech features extensively, its rich palatte of dazzling flowers and deep Majorelle Blue illustrated with a magnificent array of photographs. The garden was rediscovered and restored by Yves Saint-Laurent and Pierre Berge. Legend tells us that the first garden was born at the foot of a tree. As a mark of respect, the area around it was swept, and so it became sacred. Gardens - places where nature is imitated and ordered by human intervention - have been a part of history since the days of ancient Mesopotamia. Harmony is the key component, and this book invokes this harmony on every page. Illustrated with a magnificent array of photos and antique botanical prints, Morocco in Bloom is more than just a celebration of Moroccan flora. It is also a practical manual, dedicated to the cultivation, creation and maintenance of southern Mediterranean gardens. The author's words will resonate with any garden lover based in the broader Mediterranean Basin, from Spain to Greece, Provence to Tunisia. The book has been composed in the style of an almanac, guiding the reader through the year month by month. Each chapter provides vital advice on how to plant, prune and care for the most beautiful and rare plants in the Mediterranean climate region.

Giuppi Petromarchi is a renowned Italian landscape designer, a specialist in Mediterranean botany and the creator of numerous gardens in Tuscany and elsewhere. She has authored many books on the history of Italian gardens and on Mediterranean flora, including the lauded botanical text for The Gardens of Ninfa, and has also regularly contributed articles to gardening magazines. From 1986-1989 she lived in Rabat, where her husband was the Italian Ambassador to Morocco. It was then that she discovered the rich beauty of the Moroccan garden. Giulio Pietromarchi began his work as an assistant photographer in Rome, aged 16. That year he met Niki de Saint Phalle, who, having seen his work, asked him to document her Tarot Garden in Tuscany. His photographs span the 27 years it took to realise the project. Their long collaboration led him to document the artist's work around the world, resulting in many publications. He began his film career in 1983 as a director of photography. His filmography includes more than sixty films and documentaries.