When Madrid-based landscape architect Miguel Urquijo first visited this faded but characterful Ibizan farmhouse, he found the site \u201ca little abandoned, but full of possibility. The old land has a strong personality\u201d. Located in a rural region of Ibiza, where the agrarian tradition is still dominant, the bones of this hillside garden were formed by mature trees and crumbling dry-stone walls. The native vegetation features handsome Pinus halepensis<\/em>, slow-growing Juniperus sabina<\/em> and mastic, Pistacia lentiscus<\/em>, a large waxy evergreen shrub. This wildwood runs up to and through the garden, mingling with useful cultivated trees, gnarled ancient olives, a dusting of pretty almonds and a few sprawling figs.<\/p>\n

In brief<\/strong><\/p>\n
What<\/strong> A large family garden. Where<\/strong> Ibiza, Spain. Size<\/strong> Two-acre garden in 98-acre estate. Soil<\/strong> Poor, unimproved clay. Climate<\/strong> Mediterranean, hot semi-arid. Hardiness zone<\/strong> USDA 10b.<\/p>\n
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$\""Miguel\"$ <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
\u00a9 Claire Takacs<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div>\n
The garden of this idyllic Ibizan hillside retreat slips away from the farmhouse and segues into the wider wooded landscape, where an undulating tapestry of grey-green trees stretches out towards the distant coastline. Closer to the house, walls that draw on the area\u2019s agricultural heritage are used to create formal divisions.<\/p>\n
$\""Miguel\"$ <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
\u00a9 Claire Takacs<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div>\n
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The strong vertical accent of the young Italian cypress trees will be more noticeable as the planting matures and the evergreen shrubs<\/a> become increasingly sculptural. Around 70 per cent of the plants in this area of the garden are young mastic, a shrub or small tree valued for its tough character and local provenance. Local oddities such as the clear-stemmed Juniperus sabina<\/em> are characteristic of the island and allowed to remain as they are integral to the sense of place.<\/p>\n