Italian Gardens
Imagine a fresh, clear-watered pool that contained water clean enough to drink yet also full of water lilies, rushes and a complete ecosystem living harmoniously together. Not only does the ‘ecological’, ‘biological’ or ‘natural’ swimming pool take all the complications out of the swimming pool building process, by avoiding […]
Ever stumbled out in the morning from an all night party, only to find that your beloved Hostas or zucchini have been ravaged by a ravenous group of slugs and snails? Well, if you have – you may have, like so many others, immediately sought revenge in the […]
Wild Artichoke. Ph. Thistle-Garden on flickr (flic.kr/p/fzK7mH) Along the side of the motorway, at the edges of fields and on scruffy wasteland, the most majestic of all of Italy’s wild flowers reigns with nobility. Cultivated Artichoke Protected by the sharpest and most aggressive of spines, Cynara cardunculus has […]
UPDATE, NOVEMBER 2015. The two best parks in Italy for 2015 have been announced: they are the Giardino di Ninfa for the private parks category and the garden at Villa Medici in Rome for the public parks category. “The most beautiful parks in Italy” competition has arrived to its 13th edition in 2015. […]
Italian Gardens: Tradition and Beauty People from the world over visit formal Italian gardens, i giardini Italiani, known for their grandiose yet tranquil ambience. Be it one of the finest Italian Renaissance gardens at Villa Lante in Rome, the renowned garden surrounding Palazzo Giusti with its cypress-lined avenues, or the […]
Anyone who was lucky enough to witness the infamous “Chelsea flower show”, in Spring in the heart of London, will have witnessed the unprecedented increase in the use of vegetables in the ornamental garden i.e. pea plants growing, delicately up wrought-iron supports, ornamental pumpkins and squashes sprawling, boldly through […]
Art Topiary in Italian Gardens: Villa Lante, Bagnaia. Ph. flickr/Roberto Ferrari Italian garden design has always adopted the use of art topiary to establish strong, evergreen structures. From the origins of the Italian style gardens, designers have shaped evergreen plants into both symmetrical, obtuse and representational forms to […]
Using Mustard Flowers Italian Gardens Italian fields are now ablaze with a plant that possesses the color of the sunniest day and that provides the world with one of the hottest flavors on the menu…mustard! Hippocrates greek physician Hippocrates, the great Greek physician, was busy writing about the healing properties […]
There are at least thirty botanical gardens in Italy and every one of them is exquisite. Italy was a historical first in respect to botanical gardens. The Vatican garden in Rome was founded during the 13th century and the Salerno garden in the 14th century. Neither exists today, but many […]
Tips on Mediterranean Garden Style The Italian Peninsula is long, as I’ve mentioned before. It runs from cool mountain ranges in the north (the Dolomites), which host wild azaleas and delphiniums- to scorching, baron, almost desert like terrains in the south, hosting some spectacular wild cacti and succulents. This, essentially, […]