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 […]
Monochromatic Color Schemes Color, and lots of it, is in, and the popularity of monochromatic color schemes is fading fast. However, if you love the understated elegance and soothing feel of your monochromatic decor there are some things you can do to update it without losing the overall effect. First, […]
Details of style are essential for a terrace or balcony, even more so for a garden. There are endless ideas that would give special flavor to the spaces between rooftops or balconies tucked in, in front of a window. Its a great place to unwind when the day is […]
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 […]
Italian Restaurant Decor While the standard image of Italian restaurant decor revolves around chequered table-cloths, images or statues of grapevines or of major Italian tourist attractions, the truth is, restaurants in Italy are decorated in diverse ways. It all depends on the provenance of the cuisine being served, and the […]
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, […]
Gardens in Italy Jonathan Radford’s Approach ecoLogica: How many times have we found ourselves breaking our backs in the garden, in order to sustain our dream of creating and maintaining a perfectly green and ordered, ‘English-style’ garden, convinced that we are getting closer to nature in the process. The difficult […]
A Look at Armani Casa and Missoni Home Collections Esteemed Italian fashion houses are quickly working their way into the realm of home fashion and furniture. Many have realized that the same clientele that buys their clothing and accessoriese each season is seeking a style for their entire lifestyle including […]