Mother Nature’s Garden at Volubilis

Sometimes I think no matter how much experience or skill we have as landscapers, growers and garden designers, we’ll never do it as well as Mother Nature. Beth Chatto may have coined the phrase, but she (yes in my mind, nature is a woman!) invented the principle of “right plant, right place” and adhere’s to it intuitively and relentlessly. In doing so, she creates visually beautiful landscapes and if left to her own devices builds thriving ecosystems which sustain rich plant and animal life.

Before I visited Morocco I imagined bustling souks, colourful riads, delicious tagines and vast deserts. I didn’t expect to see lush green landscapes and roman ruins! Volubilis was a very pleasant surprise. Rich in history, bursting with plant life and incredibly photogenic, it was right up my street!

For over a thousand years this 100 acre patch of land was occupied by people. Originating around the 3rd Century BC, this city began as a Berber settlement, became the capital of the ancient Kingdom of Mauretania, was expanded under Roman rule, fell to local tribes, morphed into a latinised Christian community and latterly became the seat of Idris I, known widely as the founder of Morocco. Quite a busy millennium!

The city’s wealth was derived primarily from its thriving olive groves. Such was its success, the olive trade financed construction of impressive major public buildings including a basilica, a temple and even triumphal arch! Remnants of elaborate mosaic floors in what had been fine town-houses give an indication of the prosperity the people of Volubilis enjoyed thanks to the fertile land upon which their city had been built.

By the 11th Century the city had been abandoned and bit by bit nature has reclaimed her territory. The site of this ancient city has, in modern parlance, been “‘rewilded’.

Rewilding is defined as “the process of protecting an environment and returning it to its natural state”. This phrase implies a deliberate human act with the aim of re-introducing viable habitats which encourage the return of indigenous wildlife. The abandonment of Volubilis was not done with these objectives in mind, but the result is certainly a positive externality of the decision to move the seat of power to Fez.

Ionic columns which once supported great entablatures now provide grand residences for birds. Crumbling stonework is now the perfect habitat for insects. Tall grass and unchecked foliage provides cover and protection for small mammals and wildflowers provide an abundance of nectar for pollinators.

Volubilis is now a protected UNESCO Heritage site. As well as recognising its historical significance as an archaeological site, UNESCO also states “…it is characterised by its integration into a natural intact landscape and an original cultural environment.” Where once this place belonged to humans, it has now been returned to Mother Nature. In her wisdom she knew just what to do with the city we decided was no longer of use to us.

To me Volubilis has become a garden, by nature’s design. The ruins have become follies which enhance the landscape and provide structure on which the plants can root and thrive. I found it totally beautiful.

We have all seen examples of Mother Nature reclaiming abandoned buildings where we live and we may find her efforts unkempt and scruffy. For me there is something intensely reassuring about the knowledge that when we move out she’s always there, ready to move in and sort out the mess we’ve made!