Roberto Burle Marx was a Brazilian landscape architect, modern nature artist and a public urban space designer. He was able to incorporate graphic design, tapestry, and folk art into his landscape designs and water gardens were very popular in his work. After an ongoing search for his dream property to develop a new garden, Marx chose property in a valley just outside Rio. In 1949, he restored an old house and chapel and began cultivating plants collected on one of his numerous expeditions. Behind his house is a covered terrace where water cascades in a sheet off the flat roof into a pool, cooling the air. Relying more on foliage than flower, Marx grouped his plants according to soil and light, as well as shape and texture. His gardens contain large quantities of vividly colored plants in a large variety of textures. Marx’s estate includes more than 3,500 species (many of which are endangered) over a 100-acre span. Marx left his house and garden to the Brazilian government in 1985 although he continued to live there until his death in 1994. The estate is now a national monument with armed guards accompanying garden tours.
