How to Create a Mexican Courtyard Garden

Maybe one of the most important elements of any Mexican mission is the charm and elegance of a courtyard garden. Mexican courtyard gardens are characterized by a mix of native and colonial design, desert colors and plants, terracotta and usable plants such as herbs and vegetables. If you would like to create a Mexican courtyard garden of your own, a few tips will help get you started,

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Ceramic tiles in Earth tones
• Brick oven or barbecue
• Benches or tables
• Fountain or pond
• Wrought-iron candelabras
• Pressed metal and iron lanterns and sconces
• Earthenware and terracotta pots
• Nut and/or fruit trees
• Vegetables
• Culinary and medicinal plants
• Decorative plants

1. Create your courtyard by laying a patio with ceramic tiles. Classic Mexican courtyards were paved with handmade ceramic tiles, so choose Earth tones for your patio, such as reds, browns and terracottas. You may choose tile with nature designs, such as suns, cacti or leaves pressed or drawn into the clay.

2. Set aside a space in your Mexican courtyard garden for outdoor entertaining. A hand-made brick oven or barbecue is a common feature in a Mexican courtyard, and is usually placed near rustic wood or wrought-iron benches or tables for easy serving of guests. You may also consider a small water feature, such as a fountain made from old terra-cotta pots or a small fish pond to add to your garden atmosphere.

3. Choose outdoor lighting for your courtyard typical of Mexico and the Mission era. You might consider wrought-iron candelabras for tables and other surfaces or Mexican lanterns and sconces made from stamp metal and iron.

4. Use Earthenware and terracotta pots as decoration, candle holders, pots for plants and even incorporate them into your water features. Even today, used and broken terracotta Earthenware is a common feature in Mexican courtyards and gardens.

5. Cultivate fruit-bearing trees, an important element of a Mexican garden. Depending on your climate, you might consider banana, orange, lemon or various nut trees. A small vegetable garden is also a key part of any Mission-style garden, and should include a variety of culinary and medicinal herbs as well as fruits and vegetables.

6. Select from a variety of decorative plants typical to the climate and style of a Mexican courtyard garden. No Mexican courtyard is complete without a variety of cacti and bromeliads, which will add the finishing touch to the design of your garden. You may also consider archways or trellis covered in morning glory or rex-begonia, hanging pots and terracotta Earthenware with ferns, orchids and aloe vera or even a small dahlia tree tucked in a corner.