“The gardens that can be found in the Maltese Islands are numerous but relatively small. What they lack in size they make up for in historical and cultural content, which when pieced together, relate the happenings of their inhabitants from the early 15th century to present day.

The flagship of all the gardens is beyond any doubt San Anton Gardens in Ħ’Attard, built by Grand Master Antoine de Paul in 1623. However, other smaller gardens such as the two Barrakkas in Valletta offer breathtaking views of our Grand Harbour and the fortifications built by the Knights of Malta. Historical gardens were usually born as appendages to palaces and palatial homes of the rulers of the day. Even Buskett Gardens in Rabat grew out of a hunting lodge that was built in the mid-1500’s by Grandmaster La Vallette. Sa Maison Gardens, which overlook the equally impressive Marsamxett Harbour, was the work of Grandmaster de Paul (1636), but it was later (1853) revisited by the British Military who used its vantage position for defence purposes and left interesting evidence of their presence by sculpting various coats of arms in the rock face of the bastions.

Equally important historical gardens include Argotti Garden, St. Philip in Floriana, Hastings in Valletta, Palazzo Parisio in Naxxar and several others, which are found in outlying areas. Modern gardens which are worthy of note include the Chinese Garden of Serenity in Santa Lucia, the Ta’ Qali National Park and the Independence Garden on the Sliema Seafront.’

– Peter Calamatta, Horticulturalist