Courtyard Garden

Tumacácori visitor center garden

NPS Photo

How It Was

Missions took their garden design from Spanish tradition, which itself incorporated garden design from Arabic, Moorish, and Roman architectural tradition. Combined, a Spanish garden incorporated a walled courtyard with a central fountain, often including water channels in the four cardinal directions, that promoted shade, fragrance, and color. In the mid-1700's when the first church was constructed at Tumacácori, there was undoubtedly a garden similar to the one located at the visitor center today.

Duell, a trader who visited the Tumacácori mission after it was abandoned, described the walled area that then existed to the east of the Tumacácori church as having, "...full grown fruit trees...peaches, pomegranates, quinces, etc….oriental appearance with white dome and deep green trees...gave an Asiatic effect. The high garden walls and beautiful baths still in as perfect a state as when left...Tumacácori was more fortunate than its neighbor to the north, San Xavier del Bac, and must have possessed a beautiful garden. Evidence of an irrigation system and partial garden wall was visible." Early travelers through the area commented in supplementing their food supply from the more than fifty peach trees in the Tumacácori mission garden. Many mentioned unharvested fruit and seeds littering the ground.

These gardens featured mostly plants imported from Europe and brought to the New World by the padres. Each of these plants would have had enough value for settlers to import them from Europe, or to adopt them from the surrounding area– the value of cultural, religious, or symbolic importance, medicinal or food value, shade, or simply beauty.

 

How It Is Now

The courtyard garden at Tumacácori was built in 1939 as part of the visitor center's New Deal era construction. Its design aesthetic, like many of the adjacent visitor center architectural details, mirrors that of the missions in New Spain.

The sun dried adobe garden walls were completed in October of 1937. Following the completion of the visitor center building that December, the first plants were introduced into the garden. Several fig trees -- cuttings from a Black Fig in Amado that was believed to have come from the original Tumacácori Mission orchard -- were planted in March of 1938.

The following year, in March of 1939, sixteen young men employed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) began construction of the patio garden. A section of the east garden wall was removed to allow access by their dump truck. The crew brought in topsoil, building materials, and some large trees, including olives, pomegranates, and an apricot tree. Between 1939 and 1940, CCC crews also laid out and installed the brick walkways and created the fountain and adobe benches still in use today.

Of the original garden plantings, the olives, ornamental pomegranates, and apricot tree survive. None of the original figs remain. Both ornamental and fruiting pomegranates from original 1930s plantings can be found on the north side of the visitor center (the side facing the mission church). At least three native mesquite trees were left in place and continue to grow in the garden to this day.

All About Fruit Trees

 

• 

  Gardening With and For Pollinators

  Tumacácori protects a legacy of gardeners going back thousands of years. And an ecosystem of pollinators going back even further.

  Duration:

  6 minutes, 4 seconds

 

UPDATED JUNE 2020

Full List of All Courtyard Garden Plants

Botanical	Common name	Location
Prunus persica 'Bonanza II'	Miniature bonanza peach	1
Borago officinalis	Borage	2
Tagetes lucida	Tarragon	3
Vitus vinifera	Mission grape	4
Laurus nobilis	Bay laurel	5
Achellia millifolium	Yarrow	6
Philadelphus microphyllus	Little leaf mock orange	7
Poliomintha maderensis	Lavender spice	8
Ceanothus greggii	Desert ceanothus	9
Salvia clevelandii	Cleveland's sage/Chapparel sage	10
Zauschneria latifolia	Hummingbird bush	11
Lavandula dentata 'Goodwin Creek'	Lavender	12
Rosa arizonica	Arizona rose	13
Hemerocallis	Day lily	14
Prunus serotina	Chokecherry	15
Potentilla fruticosa	Bush cinquefoil	16
Lobelia laxiflora	Sierra Madre lobelia	17
Glandillaria goodingii	Gooding's verbena	18
Agastache wrightii	Sonoran hyssop	19
Rosa damascena semperflorens	Autumn damask rose	20
Rosa gallica officinalis	Apothecary or Gallica rose	21
Rosaceae fendleri	Fendler rose	22
Artemisia ludoviciana	Wormwood sage	23
Glandularia pulchella	Moss verbena	24
Iris	Iris	25
Vitex	Monk's pepper, Chaste tree	26
Viola	Violets	27
Levisticum officinale	Lovage	28
Salvia blepharophylla	Eyelash leaved sage	29
Salvia greggii	Autumn Sage	30
Althea rosea	Hollyhocks	31
Aloysia wrightii	Wright's bee brush	32
Myrtus communis	Roman myrtle	33
Commelina erecta	Day flower	34
Prunus armeniaca	Apricot tree	35
Prunus x domestica	Plum	36
Pyrus communis	Pear tree	37
Olea europaea	Olive tree	38
Punica granatum	Ornamental pomegranate	39
Aquilegia chrysantha	Columbine, golden	40
Prosopis velutina	Velvet mesquite	41
Cydonia oblonga	Quince	42
Citrus aurantium	Sour orange	43
Salvia apiana	White sage	44
Sphaeralcea ambigua v. ambigua	Globe mallow	45
Sphaeralcea ambigua v rosacea	Rose globe mallow	46
Plumbago scandens	White plumbago	47
Chrysactinia mexicana	Damianita	48
Ficus carica	Black mission fig	49
Lonicera sempervirens	Coral or Hummingbird honeysuckle	50
Punica granatum	Pomegranate	51
Aristolochia watsonii	Native pipevine	52
Chenopodium ambrosioides	Epazote	53
Ruta graveolens	Rue	54, pot 107
Stachys coccinea	Scarlet betony	55
Mirabilis multiflora	Showy four o'clocks	56
Chamaemelum nobile	Roman chamomile	pot 57
Poliomintha maderensis *	Mexican oregano	pot 58
Salvia henryi	Crimson sage	59
Ageratum corymbosum	Native butterfly mist	60
Agastache foeniculum	Anise hissop	61
Thymus vulgaris	Thyme	62
Silybum marianum	Milk thistle	63
Origanum marjorana	Marjoram	64
Clematis drummondii	Virgin's bower, Old man's beard	65
Rhus ovata	Sugar sumac	66
Capsicum annum vr glabriusculum	Chiltepin	67
Rosmarinus officinalis	Rosemary	68
Anemopsis californica	Yerba mansa	69
Agave murphyii	Murphy's century plant, Hohokam agave	70
Dasylirion wheeleri	Desert spoon	71
Agave parryi	Parry's agave	72
Agave lophantha	Agave lophantha	73
Agave victoriae-reginae	Queen Victoria's agave	74
Ferocactus wislizeni	AZ barrel cactus, Fishhook barrel cactus	76
Aloe barbadensis	Aloe	77
Nolina microcarpa	Beargrass, Sacahuista	78
Dasylirion quadrangulatum	Thornless or toothless desert spoon	79
Salvia azurea v. grandiflora	Blue sage	80
Brickellia californica	Bricklebush	81
Brickellia amplexicaele	Earleaf bricklebush	82
Peritoma arborea	Bladderpod	83
Hyptis emoryi	Desert lavender	84
Allium cernuum	Nodding's onion	85
Melampodium leucanthum	Blackfoot daisy	86
Gossypium thurberi	Desert cotton	87
Ratibida columnaris	Mexican hat	88
Monarda didyma	Bee balm, Bergamot	89
Monarda austromontana	Lemon Beebalm	pot 90
Origanum vulgare	Oregano	91
Jatropha cuneata	Limberbush	92
Datura wrightii	Sacred datura	93
Tulbaghia violacea	Society garlic	94
Tropaeolum majus	Nasturtiums	113
Hypericum perforatum	St. John's Wort	pot 116
Hyssopus officinalis	Hyssop	129
Allium	I'itoi's onion	pot 118
Passiflora incarnata	Passion vine	128
Mentha pulegium (European); Hedeoma pulegioides (American)	Pennyroyal	pot 106
Oenethera biennis	Evening Primrose	127
Lavanda stoechas	Spanish lavender "Madrid purple"	122
Symphytotrichuma lanceolatum	Day of the Dead Daisies	123
Coreopsis	Moonbeam'	124
Eriobotrya japonica	Loquat	125
Eschscholzia californica	Poppy	126
Cuminum cyminum	Cumin	pot 100
Ipomoea batatas	Sweet potatoes	114, 115
Allium schoenoprasum	Chive	pot 97
Corriandum sativum	Cilantro	pot 98
Mentha requienii	Corsican mint	pot 99
Pimpinella anisum	Anise	pot 95
Heterotheca subaxillaris	Camphor, Arnica	pot 96
Vinca minor	Dwarf periwinkle	pot 101
Foeniculum vulgare	Fennel	pot 102
Echinocereus pentalophus	Ladyfinger cactus	pot 103
Petroselinum crispum	Parsley	pot 105
Mentha piperita	Peppermint	pot 106
Rumex acetosa	Sorrel	pot 108
Mentha spicata	Spearmint	pot 109
Satureja montana	Winter savory	pot 112
Melissa officinalis	Lemon balm	pot 104
Satureja hortensis	Summer savory	pot 110
Ocimum basilicum	Sweet basil	pot 111
Tagetes lucida	Tarragon	pot 75
Salvia chamaedryoides	Mexican Blue Sage	130
Agave univittata	Thorn crested agave	131
Cissus trifoliata	Arizona Grape Ivy	132
Ephedra nevadensis	Morman Tea	133
Canna sp.	Canna Lilly	134
Tanacetum parthenium	Feverfew	135
Aloysia citrodora	Lemon verbena	136
Aloe maculata	Soap aloe	137
Sideroxylon lanuginosum	Gum Bumelia	138
Dicliptera resupinata	Arizona Foldwing	139
Prunus pumila var. besseyi	Western Sandcherry	119
Passiflora arizonica	Passion Flower	140
Epilobium canum	California Fuchsia, Hummingbird trumpet	141