The Parque de Malaga is noted for its individual botanical specimens – The trees, palms and larger shrubs identified in this survey. However, there are thousands of smaller plants – herbaceous, ferns, grasses, bulbs, seasonal bedding, examples of shrubby block planting and luscious groundcover – repeated themes flowing  throughout the park, which in garden design terms of course provide a sense of unity and continuity to the area.

Bold, glossy, architectural leaves contrast with softer, fern like or grassy foliage, and drifts of purple or silver bedding plants and bright flowers offer spots of colour amidst the green.  It seems that these plantings are regularly being renewed, refreshed or replaced throughout the seasons and year by year. The original list was based on two visits to the Parque in 2010 and 2011, and I’ve found the need to update it on two brief subsequent trips in 2013, and also added information on newer plantings from recent publications.

I’ve included some plants here that one would obviously class as shrubs, or sub-shrubs, simply because many of these are displayed in a “block planting” effect. And there is the same blurred definition between the “Shrubs” section and the “Trees” (or large shrubs/small trees) listings on here. Once again I hope the blog offers something different to the botanical guidebooks.

The upper and lower walkways are a good place to start. Phormiums, Tulbaghias, Strelitzias, Lantana, Nandina, Russelia, Pittosporum, Philodendron  etc. line the roadside in neat, repeated blocks beneath the upright Canary palms and rows of Celtis australis.

For the moment, here’s a fairly condensed list of the plants you may encounter as you wander around the area, along with some general photos. Check the “Drop Down Menu” on here for more images, and as this blog develops I intend to add profiles for as many as possible, though there are full descriptions in more detail in the excellent “El Parque de Malaga. Un Ejemplo de Biodiversidad” book by Garretas & Asensi (see books & further info section).

HERBACEOUS, BLOCK PLANTING, FERNS AND GROUNDCOVER…..

Acanthus mollis, Agapanthus africanus, Ajuga reptans, Alocasia odora, Alpinia zerumbet, Amaryllis belladona, Anthurium spp., Arctotis x hybrida, Asparagus spp., Aspidistra elatior,

Bambusa disticha (syn. Pseudosasa disticha), Bergenia sp., Bilbergia nutans

Canna indica, Carex spp., Chlorophytum comosum, Clivia nobilis, C. miniata, C. robusta, Cortaderia selloana, Costus speciosus ( existed in the Parque, now possibly removed), Crinum x powellii, C. asiaticum (existed previously), Cyrtonium falcatum

Dianthus barbatus, Dichondra micrantha, Doryanthes palmeri, Dracaena fragrans (syn. D. deremensis) ‘Compacta’ , D. sanderiana

Epipremnum aureum (syn. Scindapsus), Escallonia sp., Eucomis (existed previously), Euonymous, 

Farfugium japonicum, Festuca glauca,

Hedera helix, Hedychium flavescens, Hemerocallis sp., Hosta sp.,

Iresine herbstii, Iris germanica,

 Liriope muscari,

Nephrolepsis, Nothoscordum gracile

Ophiopogon spp.,

Pachysandra terminalis, Philodendron ‘Black Cardinal'(to confirm), P. selloum syn. bipinnatifidum, P. xanadu, Phormium tenax

Rosa sp., Russelia equisitiformis,

Sansevieria trifasciata, Skimmia sp., Spathiphyllum wallisii, Strelitzia reginae

Tradescantia pallida, Tulbaghia violacea,

Vinca major, Viola odorata,

Zantedeschia aethiopica.

SEASONAL AND BEDDING PLANTS. As examples: Convulvulus, Cyclamen, Gazania, Impatiens, Osteospermum, Perlogoniums…etc..