With Valentine's Day approaching, my thoughts go to romantic gardens and a particular garden called 'Viale delle Rose' or Avenue of the Rose. Russell Page designed this garden with the Marchesa Lavinia Taverna at Landriana in the 1960's. It’s an English arts and crafts garden in the Italian countryside.
The power of this amazing garden is in its simplicity. It would have been easy to fill this large space with an encyclopedia of plants, but it only takes a few types of plants to make a statement. I wish that I could edit myself as much as what we see here. So few elements deliver so much.
Bonica roses are framed by Variegated Boxleaf Euonymus. An ivy covered brick wall provides the silence that enables one to catch the subtler sounds of breeze and birds. Dark olive branches pull the eye up to shimmering silver leaves and the sky beyond. On the other side of the cobble stone walk, a tall simple hedge provides the perfect foil; the hedge is under-planted with blue rock bindweed and Solomon’s seal.
This garden has limited access and can only be visited with a tour guide. Check the Giardini della Landriana website for opening times and tours to plan your trip to Ardea, Italy.
Garden Map of Giardini della Landriana showing a series of garden rooms in the arts and crafts style. Source: http://www.aldobrandini.it/sito/giardi/tour.shtml
Photo of Russell Page. Source: The Cultural Landscape Foundation.