Wherever I travel, I love to see gardens and, typically, they provide the fondest memories and best photos of any trip. Needless to say, gardens figure largely in any travel plans I make, on a par with great buildings, galleries and museums.

At my coffee table for the past few weeks, I have been captivated by The Great Gardens of Spain, a new book by Anneli Bojstad. She leaves me yearning for a trip to Spain.

The author, a native of Sweden writes about the colours and scents of the Andalusian patios: “I was seduced by these marvelous spaces, created to exalt the senses, embodying the concept of a garden as a recreation of paradise…”

The gardens are presented in four regions of the country and reflect the climate and culture of the area. The Atlantic region includes a cloistered garden in the pilgrim city of Santiago de Compostela where dense box hedges are clipped into massive sculptures of religious symbols.

The Artigas Gardens in the Mediterranean region were designed by the great architect, Antonio Gaudi, which is easy to see in the quirky design of the hardscaping.

In Alfabia on Mallorca she shows a sensational pergola with sprays of water that shoot across a long channel from both sides.

I am charmed by the monastery garden covered with a dusting of snow. Indeed, there are many fall and winter gardens from Central Spain pictured in the book.

The reader tours the legendary Alhambra, “the incarnation of an exotic, enchanting scene from the tales of the Arabian Nights”. This magical place is perched on a hillside overlooking the city of Granada.

On these long winter nights, how lovely it is to take an armchair trip to sunny and beautiful Spain.

Jane