Gardens of Costa Rica

Summary: Among the lush flora of Central America, Costa Rica's growing conditions offer the richest and most varied opportunties for the gardener. Seacoasts, prairies, jungles, and volcanic highlands each offer divers growing zones. Professional landscape architect Jankilevich gives a history of Costa Rican pleasure gardens, enriched by the photography of Luciano Capelli, who specializes in landscape architecture. Together th...ey present the entire spectrum of tropical garden where tropical varieties blend almost spontaneously into a glorious design-all the way to classical formal designs associated with Republican-era buildings and complete with references to European estate gardens. In between are the colorful vernacular gardens of the countryside, which the ordinary inhabitants of Costa Rica organize according to their own tastes and budgets, with the aim of giving joy to daily life. There are industrial gardens linked to agricultural production and there are contemporary Costa Rican gardens, in which very select species give a touch of luxury to mansions, country houses, hotels, clubs and other city establishments. Costa Rica, the "rich coast," has its own treasury of gardens with many valuable lessons for those who love the lushness, color and abundance in a garden. [read more]