Jardin Majorelle

A Moorish Garden Escape - an oasis amongst the hustle and bustle of Marrakech

Apr 09, 2025

Today on the Flowerlogue…

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Have you ever heard of a place so impossibly exotic, that it felt like a pipe dream? Well, visiting Jardin Majorelle in Marrakech, Morocco, had always been at the top of my wish list, but I never knew when we’d every get the opportunity to travel there. It wasn’t until a last-minute Hubby work trip to Norway, that the possibility of visiting Morocco came true. I had pulled the pin on a previously planned Morocco trip years back due to a spate of car bombings. This time, despite knowing Smart Travellers’ “exercise a high degree of caution” advice, we decided to go. We added Marrakech to the beginning of a business trip over last years News Years Eve break.

We spent some time in the vast Atlas Mountains, wandered the Medinas in Marrakech and shopped for souvenirs in the exotic souks of Fez. But the place I made a bee line for was Jardin Majorelle. Located in an upmarket central suburb on a street named after its rescuer Rue Yves Saint-Laurent, Marrakech grows Jardin Majorelle. The Garden sits like an island amidst the chaotic, horn-blasting roads of the City. Some 800,000 people visit the garden annually and it is one of the Kingdom’s most visited attractions.

The ‘Cool’ Kids

We purchased our tickets online for our early morning, half-hour entry slot and queued down the footpath as tour buses, taxis and caleche (a fancy French word for horse and buggy) dropped off other visitors. I was astonished by the age of the crowd. Who would have thought that a garden would be a ‘cool’ place to visit? The average age was in their twenties and thirties, social media savvy, vapour puffing, flared legged pant wearing crowd. But why?

It was a pleasant 15 degrees celsius when we arrived, even though it was the middle of winter. Like clockwork, our queue streamed inside on time. The Garden was already crowded, guided tours were taking place in various languages and queues had already formed at key locations for photographs. But once inside the thick, pink-tinted brick walls, the traffic noises were replaced by birdsong, gentle fountains, and melodic Islamic calls to prayer from the numerous mosques outside the Garden walls.

The Original Creator

The Garden, created by French Orientalist painter Jacques Majorelle in 1923, became his life’s work over 40 years. Majorelle collected many exotic species of plants during his world travels and built the infamous cubist-design villa in which he lived. Inspired by the colours of Marrakech, Jacques painted the villa the vibrant cobalt blue, which was named Majorelle Bleu after him. Intricate mosaics and ornate details were throughout the Garden, creating an opulent atmosphere. Following misfortune in health and divorce from his wife, the Gardens fell into disrepair.

A Famous Designer

Marrakech had become a second home away from France and a source of inspiration for world famous fashion designer Yves Saint-Laurent. Upon discovering the ruins and the threat of a hotel development, Saint-Laurent and partner Pierre Berges purchased the Garden. Saint-Laurent added reticulation, doubled the number of plants, and painted various structures with the well-known radiant yellows, jade green, and bright orange colours. The Garden was then reopened to the public.

Upon Saint-Laurent’s death in 2008, his ashes were scattered in the Garden. A memorial was laid in the Garden for him and later for Berges.

A Fascinating Garden

We meandered along the wide winding paths through the 1ha garden, past the lily pond, tiled water fountains, the idling goldfish, reflective pools, pagodas, sculptures and beneath the climbing laden pergolas. Each had long queues for selfie moments, guided by staff controlling the queues. The Garden featured a seemingly randomly planted selection of mature cacti, bougainvillea, jasmine, water lilies, hibiscus, towering palm trees, and shooting bamboo and ferns. Staff meticulously raked pebble mulch and picked up every fallen leaf and palm berry. The Garden is also well-known for its giant koi, terrapins, frogs, and bird life.

Few flowers were about as it was winter, however, what I loved most about the Garden was the contrast between the intricate Moorish handmade window grids, against the striking colours of the structures, the architecture, and the spikes of the prickly cacti. The colour of the pots and the walls brought life to the garden even with few flowers about. Peculiarly, I also liked the engraved (or should I say graffitied) cacti stems which gave the Garden a human element.

Would I go Again?

Botanically there are more diverse gardens in Marrakech, including within the grounds of some of the palatial hotels. And whilst the photo-posing crowd did spoil it for me a little, the Garden’s fascinating history, mature plants, stunning water features and architecture were captivating. The contrast of the botanic hues against the vividly painted structures is a visual spectacle. The Garden is a melding of art, nature, and culture. Would I go again, well, of course!