It was not by chance nor by a trick of fate that Javier Mariátegui dedicated himself to gardening. He grew up among gardens. Both his grandmothers were gardening enthusiasts, one of them, the Marchioness of Casa Valdés wrote the book Jardines de España, which describes the history of Spanish gardening from Roman times to the present day. This enthusiasm was passed on to him by his parents. From his earliest years he was making his own gardens, by reusing those plants discarded by his father. For the last thirty years, he has been designing and building gardens across Spain as well as in several other European countries. Among the present garden architects of Spain Mariátegui plays an outstanding role.