Monaco and Garden Space

We were only in Monaco for 4 days and 3 nights (so really only for 2 full days), but we saw so much that you all are going to have to put up with a few more posts on it :)

So, you would think that being the most densely populated country in the world as well as being built on rocky cliffs would mean few trees and little greenery, right?  WRONG!

First off, having a fantastically mild Mediterranean climate means that all sorts of plants will grow, given space.  One just needs to find that space - and the people of Monaco seem to be fantastic at it! 

If you look closely at the picture above, you will see that many of the buildings have rooftop gardens.  I was blown away at some of the roof gardens I saw - some of them were garden courtyards complete with good sized trees!

Yep, this is a roof garden!

Can you spot the trees on top of the high rise on the left?

 And it wasn't just roofs of buildings that had garden areas on them...

They didn't even stop at rooftops in Monaco.  Many apartment balconies had planters, and some windowless places even had living, green walls.

Even the rocky cliffs were pretty green, with plants growing in nooks and crannies.

It was rather funny to see the familiar Dusty Miller growing like weeds in cliff crevices.  (No wonder that plant grows so well for me - it's really a weed in disguise!)

Dusty miller and a pretty yellow wildflower growing on the side of a cliff

With the climate and terrain, all sorts of plants grow in Monaco.  It was strange to see tropical palm trees as well as desert agaves and prickly pears often growing right next to more familiar leafy plants.

Monaco also dedicates several areas to gardens and public green areas.  Many of the paths along the edge of the cliff are surrounded by public park areas.

No, this picture is not crooked - in this sloped area all of the trees are leaning... Some trees are leaning so much they need support.

I love how this country really takes care of its gardens and strives to add greenery in such a populated area.  There must be many devoted gardeners in Monaco - plants seem to be squeezed in wherever possible.

 

 And the next post will focus on some of the exquisite public gardens in Monaco!