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An appreciation of retiring Branch Head, Jon Parker
Four years ago, Jon Parker took on the mantle of Head of the Italian Branch for a period of one year. That year came and went, and now, four years later, he has decided reluctantly to take early retirement in order to be able to spend more time with his far-flung family. Under his enthusiastic leadership, a varied cross-section of Italian members enjoyed the visits he organised to places from as far north as Portofino and Padova to as far south as Sicily. One of his more recent events was to his own garden, created out of what had been a very steep slope covered in brambles and scrub. The project has been very challenging and the results are a testament to Jon and Astrid's enthusiasm, skill and creativity. Jon's last event, a visit to the Piano Grande, a gigantic natural garden high in the Sibillini Mountains, was very well attended and everyone thanked Jon for all his efforts over the past four years. Although "retiring", Jon and Astrid have every intention of remaining active members in the Italian Branch over the coming years.
Steve Elliot
Past events
October 2009
Visit to the Estate of Villa la Genga in Umbria, followed by the Plant Sale at the house and gardens of member Gary Gardenhire.
September 2009
Vivaio/Nursery of Ornamental Grass specialist Enrico Carlon
September 2009
Visit to Palladian Palace and grounds of Villa Pisani on Riviera Brenta outside Venice.
June 2009
Visit to Ligurian coast to Sculpture garden at La Marrana
June 2009
Overnight at Santa Margherita to the Abbey and gardens of the Abbey - La Cervara.
May 2009
Peony nursery and gardens followed by visit to gardens of collector Lupo Osti
May 2009
Visit to the famous Villa Lante.
April 2009
Camelia gardens near Lucca.
April 2009
Visit to Villa Massei with the famous garden of Paulk Gervais and Gil Cohen.
February 2009
Margheriti Nursery at Chiusi.
February 2009
Visit to Iris Origo’s garden at La Foce now in the hands of her daughter Benedetta.
June 2008
Thanks to the very able organisation of Madeleine David 15 members enjoyed visits between torrential storms to two spell binding 18th century classical Italianate gardens in the Piceno region of Le Marche on the Adriatic coast.
Il Giardino Buonaccorsi near the village of Potenzza Piceno is a near perfect example of the garden of its period. In the early 1700s Raimondo Buonaccorsi set about creating the garden started by his father; by 1726 he was the father of 18 children, which explains the many ‘giochi d’acqua’ including puppets, a grotto with a popping out devil and water jokes everywhere waiting to ambush you. However, amusing as these are, the original formality of the Italianate garden, still today as it was when created some 300 years ago, remains the most striking feature.
The five terraces are dominated by 200 lemon trees in a formal pattern interspersed with obelisks and fountains, stepping to an intricate pattern of stone-edged beds all filled with a myriad of bedding plants, as in the parterre of the terrace below: each year the 80-year-old gardener and his son raise between 14,000 and 16,000 plants. Below this is an avenue of bay trees, succeeded by the scented garden flanking the beautiful ‘limonaia’ on the lowest terrace.
Surveying all are 105 statues commissioned from the sculptor Orazio Mariali that range from Roman emperors, Commedia dell’Arte figures, mythological deities to masked dwarves and the family’s dogs.
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| The villa |
The terraces |
In the afternoon we proceeded to the fascinating Villa Scariglia.
The Italianate garden was added to the villa in 1700, designed and planted by the architect Giosofatti. It must be one of the most esoteric of all gardens. From a wide paved entrance flanked by manicured lawns one looks through the vast open entrance hall of the Villa to ‘il giardino segreto’ beyond, which cannot have been more than 15m square. It was simplicity itself, all green except for splashes of red from the occasional geranium, dominated by lemon trees, one in each of the eight squares of box and espaliered on the high surrounding walls. On all three sides above were balconies as if in a theatre, each containing its own parterre and its own particular statuary and from which one can look down on ‘the stalls’ as well as on other intimate gardens such as the rose garden and the rolling hills beyond, or up into the woods through a cypress-flanked avenue.
We had the further privilege of having a free run of the interior of this most beautiful, historic, lived-in family home, overseen by the charming housekeeper.
For those staying overnight or living in the area Madeleine had organised a guided tour of the historic and charmingly beautiful town of Asconi Piceno.
We could not claim that we had really experienced the Mediterranean garden in the truly academic sense of the word but nonetheless we were still in the Mediterranean experiencing the magic of the classical Italianate garden and I am sure I can speak for all of us in saying that it was a truly inspirational and memorable visit. Once more, thank you Madeleine.
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| The Secret Garden |
Cypress avenue |
May2008
Some 26 members enjoyed two days of memorable visits to gardens in the Lazio area south of Rome, thanks to the able organisation of Rory Stuart.
All three gardens had a similarity in that they were very well established, large and all rooted in the inspiration and dream of one person.
The first one was Torrecchia, the property of Principe Carlo Caracciolo, reached by an impressive 5 km drive through the wooded and pastured 650-hectare estate. After making our way a further 1 km up hill on foot, we entered through the arch of the medieval ruins of a castle into a charming shady courtyard in front of the 15th-century granary, now the principle residence.
Beyond stretched the two hectares of paradise surrounded by the remains of the wall of a 2nd-century encampment. The influence of Dan Pearson is very evident in the design and layout of the garden into many ‘rooms’, now so ably maintained and constantly artistically redesigned by the resident English gardener, Stuart Barfoot. One passes from the classical to the more modern/romantic part with Podranea ricasoliana tumbling up and over the ruins of the 13th-century medieval village.
Our principal memories are: the acres of immaculate lawns linking and carpeting the ‘rooms’; a mass of David Austin roses; the pergola cascading with climbing ‘Iceberg’ roses; a raised rectangular pool in the ruins of a courtyard surrounded by a profusion of annually sown wild flowers – daisies, poppies, nigella and allium, quite magical; the waterlily-covered lake with ruins towering above and water cascading over boulders, surrounded by massed planting of Iris foetidissima and arum lilies, Zantedeschia aethiopica; and, to crown it all, the return walk to the granary through a field sown with chamomile interspersed with the flecks of blue of Nigella damascena.
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Gathering in courtyard
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Entrance to swimming pool |
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Raised pool with wild flowers |
Field of Camomile/Nigella |
After a more than ample lunch, we proceeded for 40 minutes across the boring coastal plain to the oasis of the next garden, La Landriana.
In one sense this is the opposite of the previous garden: the preoccupation of those now managing the garden is to maintain it exactly as the founder planned it to be. Hence a general impression was that the garden was a bit tired and needed some new planting. The property was bought in 1956 by Marquese Gallarati-Scotti at a forced sale/auction; it was then totally devoid of any vegetation whatsoever and had to be cleared of mines before planting could begin. It was by chance that his wife Lavinia received the gift of a packet of seeds and for fun she sowed them: the event was sensational and so began the garden. Russell Page was called in in 1967 and we see his strong influence in the overall design – similar to that of Torrecchio - with many ‘rooms’.
The initial impact is striking with a long entrance walkway flanked by a walled bed of the rose ‘Bonica’ underplanted with Australian Violet, after which the rooms continue. The memories of this garden are the very strict identity of each ‘room’. Those that come into mind the strongest are: the Orange Garden underplanted with Lysimachia; the White Walk, a striking 100-metre descent flanked by white roses – ‘Sally Holmes’, ‘Penelope’, ‘Swany’ and ‘Iceberg’; the Italian Garden with immaculately trimmed bay hedges in squares and rectangles infilled with Euonymus and lilac-coloured verbena; the Spanish Pool, an idyllic calm space of water surrounded by camphor trees; the lake surrounded by Swamp cypress, Taxodium distichum, water iris and Gunnera manicata and surmounted by the Valley of the Old Roses. A striking feature of the garden is that it is practically one hundred percent underplanted, predominantly with Ophiopogon japonicus but also with Lippia repens (syn. Phyla nodiflora). I have mentioned only a few of the ‘rooms’. Lavinia died in 1997 but her influence and ideas for the garden continue to be rigidly followed, not necessarily to the best advantage… nothing in life can stand still.
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Entrance with Rosa bonica
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Italian garden |
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| White rose walk |
Most members participating in the Saturday visit spent the night in a hotel in Sermoneta, a magical medieval hilltop village nestling under its castello: it must be one of the most beautiful villages in the world. The evening was rounded off with dinner served by the butcher and his family in the old macelleria.
And so to the miracle of Ninfa which must be one of the great gardening experiences of one’s life. It is breathtakingly beautiful, elegant yet natural, with the amazing juxtaposition of ancient Roman and medieval ruins with water and garden: the towering remains of a cathedral draped with Pandorea (jasminoides?). The important medieval town was razed to the ground and abandoned in the late 1300s and remained so until 1920 after the surrounding swamps had been drained. It was Ada, the English wife of the direct descendant of earlier owners, Duke Onorato Caetani, who with her son Gelasio had the vision and passion to create this masterpiece, followed by her daughter-in-law, Marguerite, an American, and in turn her daughter Lelia, the latter having the greatest impact on what we see today. When Lelia died childless, she left the estate to a Foundation controlled by her adopted son, Lauro Marchetti.
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The rock garden
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The river |
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| Entrance |
The romanticism of the experience comes from the artist in Lelia, as if everywhere has been brushed from a palette on to a canvas. It is difficult to relate any individual parts of the whole as all parts gently flow into one another. The most remarkable aspect for this particular season was the abundance of roses. It was particularly interesting to see more temperate trees from northern climates such as beech growing into enormous specimens alongside their Mediterranean cousins such as holm oak. Probably the greatest impact was that of the water: water everywhere, in lakes, streams, waterfalls, weirs, gushing down rills, flowing at up to 2,000 litres a second and all so artistically landscaped. One came away as if from a dream.
Branch Head, Steve Elliott
Steve came to Italy six years ago following early retirement in England. He spent his career in the telecommunications industry with not a plant in sight. He and his wife Alison have spent much of the last six years bringing back to life a garden created in the seventies and then, more recently, following a restoration project of the original cottage in the grounds, creating a new garden to complement the cottage. Like all gardens, they are evolving and each year sees another new mini-project that improves what has gone before. Steve has taken part in many of the events of the Italian Branch over the last years and is keen to continue the work of the previous Branch Heads. The Branch is always a challenge with diverse interests and diverse locations of the members; it is hoped that Steve can continue its good work.
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