We’ve been in our home over a year now, and we still haven’t done up the landscaping. Oh, we started last spring, and talked to several gardeners. We had what seemed like a plan, but it just didn’t come together, so we scrapped it.

Then, we fell in love with the beautiful courtyards and gardens we saw in Morocco. You might say that 6,000 miles from home, inspiration hit. So when we got home, we decided to commemorate our wonderful trip by a Moroccan-inspired garden. We called the gardener we want to work with and visited a mosaic artist I found last year and got the ball started.

Citrus and olive trees grow here in the South Bay, and our gardener tells us she knows of a fruitless type of olive tree that won’t make a big mess. A big yes to that! And we’re doing color.

Arches are a key component in Moroccan design, and the entry to our small courtyard happens to be arched. I love pops of color, and of course, color is another hallmark of Moroccan decor .Our realtor gave us some pots she couldn’t use and we’ll fill them with bright flowers in red, yellow, orange, pink, purple –happy colors.

And those mosaics–everywhere, and with a certain balance and symmetry. Like this fountain.

Isn’t it gorgeous? I usually like a more free-form design with bold bursts of bright colors, but after seeing so many beautiful Moroccan mosaic designs, I fell in love with the almost hypnotic orderly composition and and more muted range of hues.

I don’t know why they’re called “water features” today; a fountain is a fountain. And while this one’s bigger and more ornate than the one we’re hoping to have, you can see where we’re going.

Moroccan lanterns are also important to our design, and I’ve found some online that I think will do the trick.