italian gravel gardens

  gravel gardens in italy

Italy is now feeling the pinch of climate change and is having to totally re-consider the way in which it consumes its water supplies. The onset of mass tourism has caused an alarming rise in the number of large gardens, swimming pools and extensive English lawn areas, created to accomodate for tourists all
over this beautiful Peninsula. This has thus increased water consumption so drastically that water supplies are becoming scarce for both human and agricultural consumption.
We at ecologica know that by eliminating large expanses of irrigated, English-style lawn around the house we can reduce our water consumption and maintenance by at least 80%!

what really is a gravel garden?

A gravel garden about as close to an authentic Mediterranean garden as one can get! it relies on gravel to form the walking surface, instead of lawns with their costly irrigation installations. Although complex to install, when installed correctly a gravel garden will perform a number of very useful, time (and money) saving tasks in the garden. Water consumption will be reduced by ensuring that evaporation is minimised... maintaining moisture in the soil beneath the gravel.

This extra moisture provides water for plant roots and maintains a healthy environment for soil organisms. Regular weeding will be reduced to a minium as a professionally installed gravel substrate eliminates almost all weed growth. Hours of wasteful, time-consuming mowing and the cost of expensive grass cutting equipment will also be eliminated because a gravel garden clearly does not require mowing! Plants roots will also be insulated by the layer of gravel and trapped, still air- creating a warm covering during the winter.

A garden of this nature addresses precisely the needs of the majority of Mediterranean and aromatic plants /herbs etc. and provides the aesthetics of a Sicilian beach and the tidy, yet rustic elegance of Tuscany. This dry garden also provides a pleasing environment adjacent to the house that can even be used for sunbathing on a clean, dry surface, even immediately after a rainstorm, eliminating the risk of trudging dirt and grass into the house!

Given that most plants benefit from their roots being covered by the gravel the choice of planting style is endless and the choice of plants is nothing short of exceptional! Planting style can range from the elegance of topiary (plants clipped into shapes) and rose borders to lazy, colourful herbaceous borders filled with a mix of perennials and climbing vegetables to modern cacti gardens. The choice of plants is extended from rare lavenders and other aromatics to the vast array of Iris colours and other Mediterranean perennials, like the 90 salvia varieties.

The pictures on this page are of my back garden here in Tuscany and I can safely say I spend more time enjoying my garden space than maintaining it! It is a Renaissance courtyard (16th Century) and the gravel compliments even these antique surroundings.