...using the logic of ecology

making a garden in Italy (18-01-10) by Jonathan Radford.

Making a garden in Italy can be as easy or as complicated as one wishes it to be and everything depends on the level of communication skills that the creator of that garden possesses. Italians rarely have a good command of the English language and, those that can speak English, are often not the easiest to understand regarding complicated construction language. Consequently, if one sets about creating an Italian garden without first embarking on a language course then a professional garden designer may be required to liaise with builders, source plants and ensure that no ‘monkey business’ takes place on site, as it so often does in Italy.
A professional garden designer based in Italy should have an excellent understanding of Italian plants, the Italian climate and what one can and cannot do within an Italian garden. For this reason, a professional garden designer in Italy will be able to guide you through the many pitfalls, both practical and financial, that one can encounter during the process of creating a garden in Italy. If, however, one chooses to storm ahead regardless and create a garden in Italy, without professional help then this article will hopefully be of use.
Factors to consider when making a garden in Italy:
1.Style
Firstly, one needs to decide on the style that the garden will ultimately adopt, as this will have an effect upon the species of plants that may or may not be grown in Italian soils. For example, Japanese style gardens generally adopt the use of ericaceous plants (plants that require acidic soils) such as Azaleas and Rhododendrons and this kind of plant finds it more difficult in Italian soils , as they are generally of an alkaline (chalky) nature. Subsequently, the choice of garden style will have a major effect on the planting and may not actually be possible, within the boundaries of costs and practicality etc. Without doubt the most practical garden style to use in Italy is, therefore, a Mediterranean style garden, be it formal or informal.
A formal Italian garden will require a large, geometric and flat area that is capable of housing a symmetrical garden, so typical of Italian garden design. The styling of the house will affect the choice of garden style and a Renaissance villa can sustain a formal garden, whereas, a rustic farmhouse renovation may require a more informal approach to the garden design, or maybe a more humble and practical formal Italian vegetable garden design. Again a professional garden designer based in Italy should be able to guide you through this minefield of potential mistakes when designing a garden in Italy.
2. Cost/Maintenance
Before making a garden in Italy, one needs to consider several factors regarding cost and subsequent maintenance schedules. If your house is used as a summer holiday destination and is not inhabited for much of the year then a formal Italian garden, with its high maintenance requirements, may not be the best choice. Alternatively, if the owner is a keen gardener and will spend most of the year tending to the garden, or if they are willing to enlist the help of a maintenance company, then they can stretch to neatly clipped box hedging, roses and other elements of Italian garden design that require high maintenance.
3. Use
Clearly the way that the garden will be used is of paramount importance and a garden used solely for aesthetic requirements is clearly going to require a completely different design brief to that of a garden used for kicking a football around with the kids. Large expanses of fine lawn are costly and impractical owing to the lack of water in most areas of Italy. A well must be dug if one wishes to irrigate areas of lawn, as using tap water is actually illegal in most areas of Italy.
Subsequently, minimising the areas of fine lawn to that which is absolutely necessary is a good idea or, alternatively the creation of wild flower areas that essentially require very little water is something to be considered when making an Italian garden.