The garden: Amber Palace

A tree grows in: Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

First planted: 18th century

Roots: Rajasthan is an intriguing mix of luxury and modesty, colors and cultures, palaces and paupers. No wonder it even has a unique take on an island garden. Most classic island gardens, such as Ireland's Garinish or Cornwall's Tresco Abbey, focus on exotic plants rather than design—a by-product of being so close to water. The Amber Palace is different. It's a massive formal garden, from the era of Turkish occupation, with a fortified tower that juts out into the waters of a lake. The garden is made of broad descending terraces, each one a latticework of evergreens clipped in the shape of stars and separated by narrow channels of water. At first glance it seems deceptively simple, yet upon closer inspection, the garden's complexity—based on geometry and mathematics—reveals itself. You see, nothing in this part of the world is as simple as it appears. Where else might you find an island garden in a desert state?

Amber Palace
Tel: 91 141 253 0293