Bartolomeo Pallanca’s passion for horticulture matched, if not surpassed, that of his father who was an olive grower by trade. Both men worked for Winter, and in 1910 Bartolomeo Pallanca founded his very own “Stabilimento Orticolo Floreale” nursery. One part of the business specialized in ornamental LIGURIA BORDIGHERA Pallanca Exotic garden Bartolomeo Pallanca’s passion for horticulture matched, if not surpassed, that of his father who was an olive grower by trade. Both men worked for Winter, and in 1910 Bartolomeo Pallanca founded his very own “Stabilimento Orticolo Floreale” nursery. One part of the business specialized in ornamental plants and cut flowers, and the other in cacti and succulents, which were shipped to half of Europe’s botanical gardens. After the war, this became the core business for the nursery. Four generations dedicated their existence to the cultivation, acclimatization and flowering of succulent plants. Nowadays it is one of the most interesting collections for fans and scholars alike. More than 3,000 different varieties and specimens from all corners of the Earth are distributed by the area of origin and form a living map portraying nature’s infinite grace through which rock formations are colonized. Pallanca exotic garden Photo ©CRISTINA ARCHINTO Info: www.pallanca.it More botanical gardens and nurseries Orto Botanico di Ginevra Orto Botanico di Ginevra Centro Botanico Moutan Orto Botanico di Palermo Roma Roseto di Roma Parco Botanico Villa Rocca Water Nursery Giardino Botanico di Hanbury

Water Nursery Latina The Water Nursery, albeit being the most extensive Italian collection for wetland vegetation, is also an endeavour that narrates about the land’s history and through this itself sustains itself, transforming complex environmental conditions into botanical creations of amazing b UMBRIA THE LAVANDETO DI ASSISI Not only lavender Photographs by Cristina Archinto At Castelnuovo di Assisi, under the watchful gaze of the Basilica of St Francis, is the Lavadeto di Assisi a nursery, but not only that, it is also a garden and occasionally a place to celebrate spring in late April, lavender in July and sages in early October. THE NURSERY Lavender is undoubtedly the undisputed star of the nursery, but there are many other noteworthy plants that stand out especially at other times of the year, such as sage Greggii hot lips a beautiful fragrant perennial bush with deep red dots that flowers from April to May. Or the beautiful bushes of Pennisetum villosum a grass with a white blossom that flowers from August to October, or the mauve-coloured Verbena rigida bushes or the Sedum couticola bushes. THE GARDENS Not far from the nursery, immersed in the landscape between one field and another, are what are known as the Lavender Gardens, examples of different types of gardens with specific plants; low-maintenance perennials, or plants suitable for sun or dry soil, or plants to put in your own pond, to see in the field, how our future garden might turn out or how our purchases at the nursery will develop. Bushes of Pennisetum villosum , wonderful Stipa tenuissima that look like hair in the wind, the so-called pampas feathers or Cortaderia selloana and even water lilies with Hydrocotyles for ponds. You can also see the large flowering rosemary bushes that protect so many different aromatic plants from the wind, there are also beehives with bees preparing to spend the winter waiting for another spectacular flowering in spring. Photo ©CRISTINA ARCHINTO Info: Official website More botanic gardens and nurseries Vivai cuba Orto Botanico di Berlino Orto botanico di Madrid Orto botanico di Amsterdam Orto botanico di Napoli Giardino Botanico Nuova Gussonea Orto Botanico di Catania Orto Botanico di Ginevra

A book that tells the story and the landscape of this enchanted place. Eight gardens, eight different realities linked together by the lava flows of this majestic volcano. ​ SHOP BOOK GARDENS IN THE SHADE OF MOUNT ETNA by Cristina Archinto A book that tells the story and the landscape of this enchanted place. Eight gardens, eight different realities linked together by the lava flows of this majestic volcano. In the shadow of Etna, lichens and broom replenish the woods of the slopes crossed by the lava: it is nature that regenerates itself after each flow. Observing the vitality of these processes, the communities of Etna have learned to recognize their richness and ability to adapt. This is how the citrus scented landscape was born and a pioneering science of ecosystems developed: a culture of coexistence with the volcano that gardens have celebrated, acclimatizing specimens from all over the world alongside the local species. Cristina Archinto's photographs tell of the extraordinary adventure that involved the first herbalists and the botanists of the Catania Garden, the wisdom that unites enthusiasts of yesterday and today in continuous experimentation. Portraying the strength of centuries-old olive trees or the elegance of agaves, his shots take us to the most evocative places of seven Etna gardens; and showing the tenacity of opuntias or the poetry of eternal blooms, they reveal the range of greens and the play of light that only Sicily can offer. Alessandra Valentinelli Index ETNA Between nature, history and culture PARCO PATERNÒ DEL TOSCANO In the shadow of the volcano CIANCIO GARDEN In the green of the lava GRAVINA GARDEN The terrace on the Timpa ROOMS IN FLOWER The art of colour VILLA ORTENSIA The beautiful landscape of the citrus grove ETNA BOTANIC GARDEN Iddu CATANIA BOTANICAL GARDEN The Etna road of science FORM Title: GARDENS IN THE SHADOW OF MOUNT ETNA Author: Cristina Archinto Text: Alessandra Valentinelli Photographs: Cristina Archinto Translation: Stefania Bellingardi Beale Text: Italian and English Illustrated book with 80 photographs Format 24 x 23cm Number of pages 108, Soft cover Paperback packaging Cost €26.00 ONLINE PURCHASE DISCOUNT €23.00 BUY ONLINE

Jardin de la Paix, a small garden opened to the public in 2003, is dedicated to the victims of the August attack that shook the UN in Baghdad, where Sergio Vieira de Mello, a Brazilian UN international official, also lost his life GENEVA THE PACE GARDEN Photo © CRISTINA ARCHINTO S trolling around Geneva, in the Petit Saconnex area, you may come across the Jardin de la Paix a small garden but definitely living up to its name. Opened to the public in 2003, it is dedicated to the victims of the attack in August of that year that shook the UN in Baghdad, including Sergio Vieira de Mello, a Brazilian UN international official. In the centre is a small lawn and bordered on both the north and south sides by neat flowerbeds with different varieties of flowers such as Kniphofia, Hemerocallis, Crocosmias, Rudbeckia, Impatiens , roses and graminaceous plants. To the east side, on the other hand, there is a vine pergola reminiscent of the awnings of yesteryear and housing a few benches that allow one to take advantage of the coolness, especially in this season. On the opposite side one can enjoy a small stretch of water, often frequented by frogs, fish and herons and covered with water lilies. The reflections in the water, the little bridge and the flora are as impressionist-inspired as the colours of the various flowers, which fade from cooler near the water area to warmer as you approach the sunny walls opposite. The small greenhouse is pretty, with some succulent plants at the entrance and more tropical plants in the central part. Needless to say, the garden is well maintained and is a little gem where calm and beauty reign. Photo ©CRISTINA ARCHINTO Other GARDENS and PARKS Villa Pergola Villa Pergola Villa Melzi Villa Melzi Parco Sigurtà Parco Sigurtà Parco Flauto Magico Parco Flauto Magico Villa Lante Villa Lante Bomarzo Parco Villa la Grange Labirinto della Masone

On the border between Veneto and Lombardy, in Valeggio sul Mincio, the 60 hectares of the Parco Giardino Sigurtà were colored thanks to Tulipanomania, the richest flowering of tulips in Italy, the second-largest in Europe, for the presence of over a million bulbs. VENETO SIGURTÀ GARDEN PARK The enchantment of tulips from ancient Persia to the Mincio Valleys Photographs Cristina Archinto Text Carla De Agostini D espite the cold weather at the end of March, the tulips in the Sigurtà Garden have sprouted! On the border between Veneto and Lombardy, in Valeggio sul Mincio, the 60 hectares of the Park have become colourful thanks to Tulipanomania, the richest tulip flowering in Italy, the second richest in Europe, with over a million bulbs. The route of about 10 km along porphyry paths enchants the visitor among fairy-tale glades and monuments in memory of the Sigurtà family. Punctuated by sweeping views of the Mincio, the itinerary crosses small bridges, sheets of water, reaches the flowerbeds of the Great Grassland Carpet and the floating, rotating islands in the Laghetti Fioriti. Every corner is a surprise, not only for the tulips but also for the daffodils, mosses, hyacinths and fritillaries. The arrangement of the flowers is the result of an in-depth study that guarantees perfect colour, with hundreds of multicoloured shades. And spring after spring, the flowerbeds are renewed, always offering new spectacles. The property, first owned by the Contarini family, then by the Maffei family, was purchased in 1941 by Giuseppe Carlo Sigurtà, who opened it to the public in 1978. The area soon became a nature park and in 2019 the Sigurtà Gardens were awarded by the World Tulip Society for excellence in promoting and celebrating the tulip. Today Tulipanomania is a real festival that exalts its beauty. The history of the tulip starts in the East: from the Persian delband, which means headdress or turban. The first cultivations took place in Turkey where it became very popular in the 16th century. During the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent, numerous varieties were developed and exported from his court to Vienna, then to Holland and England. The choice of the name Tulipanomania recalls the Tulip Fever that broke out in Holland in the first half of the 17th century. In those years the demand for tulips reached such a peak that every single bulb fetched incredible prices: in 1623 some bulbs cost as much as a thousand Dutch guilders. Considering that the average annual income at the time was 150 guilders, bulbs became an asset to invest in, exchanged for land, livestock or houses. In 1630, to meet the demands of the market, there were more than 140 different species of tulips registered in Holland alone: single-colour hybrids, multi-coloured with streaks, strokes or flaming leaves, all competing to create the most beautiful and rare tulip. The record price was set for the most famous bulb, the Semper Augustus, which sold in Haarlem for 6,000 guilders. In 1636 they became Holland's fourth most important export, but by the end of that year the 'Tulip Bubble' had reached its peak and burst, sending many people broke. The fever resumed in England in 1800, where the price of a single bulb reached fifteen guineas, a sum that was enough to ensure a worker and his family food, clothing and shelter for at least six months. But no other country in Europe matched the level of tulip mania of the Dutch. Today's Tulipanomania at the Sigurtà Garden has the theme of the ecological garden at heart; awarded the European Award for Ecological Gardening, the Park raises public awareness by promoting visits on foot, by bicycle, in an electric golf-cart or in a little retro train that follows the Itinerary of Enchantments with a multilingual guide. The creation of the Labyrinth, inaugurated in 2011 on an area formerly used as a car park, is along the same lines of thought. One thousand five hundred yew trees grow there, more than two metres tall, creating natural geometries on a rectangular area of 2,500 square metres. From the tower at the centre of the Labyrinth, you can admire the Great Oak, which has stood for over four centuries. At the end of the visit, you will have the feeling that you have not seen everything. The great variety of places will be the perfect excuse to return and discover the Garden, in search of new colours and blooms at new times of the year. THE TULIP IN HISTORY "Art could not feign a simpler grace, nor nature form a more beautiful line" wrote James Montgomery, a Scottish poet, at the end of the 18th century. Tulips, a bulbous species belonging to the Liliaceae family, were first mentioned in Western Europe around 1554 under the name tulipa, from the Latin genus, or tulipant. The word probably derives from the Persian دلبند delband 'turban' because of its similarity to the flower. One of the oldest tales dates back to ancient Persia: the young prince Farhad learns that Shirin, his great love, has been murdered. Overcome with grief, he throws himself off a cliff. In reality, it is a jealous rival who has spread this false rumour to hinder their relationship. So to symbolise eternal love and sacrifice, tradition has it that where the young prince's blood has dripped, tulips have grown. Even today in Iran, where the tulip is a national symbol of martyrdom, also used as a symbol in the 1979 Islamic revolution, it commemorates the martyrs who died in the battle of Karbala in 680 AD. The vicissitudes of this flower are varied and reach as far as Europe, in Holland to be precise, where in 1636 demand for tulip bulbs grew to such an extent that people began to invest in them on the stock exchange. Newspapers of the time, for example, reported the story of a brewer from Utrecht who traded his brewery for just three tulip bulbs. Flowers became jewellery for ladies, enriching their intrinsic meaning: giving a tulip as a gift can mean unconditional and perfect love, or it can be used to toast the achievement of a goal, it can allude to vanity, or reflect the philosophical attitude and transience of life. It is not by chance that we find a tulip vase next to Seneca's bust in the painting The Four Philosophers by Flemish artist Pieter Paul Rubens, recalling the disappearance of the two characters in the centre of the painting, so dear to the painter. GALLERY Photo ©CRISTINA ARCHINTO LINK Official website More Gardens and Parks Gairdino di Villa Lante Villa Lante parco del Flauto Magico Parco Flauto Magico Bomarzo Parco Villa la Grange Labirinto della Masone Giardino di Kenroku-en Giardino dell'impossibile Giardino di Ninfa

Opuntia ficus-Indica, better known as prickly pear, is a succulent plant belonging to the family of Cactaceae and it is xerophilous, that is living preferably in arid environments, where it can also reach 5 meters of height. The plant does not have a main trunk, its stems are cladodes, commonly known as paddles, which take care of photosynthesis, whereas its leaves with time have evolved into thorns. BOTANY POPPIES AND BEES Why don't bees pollinate red flowers except poppies? By CARLA DE AGOSTINI T he history of evolution is a history of relationships between species, as well as between species and the environment. When we smell a flower, for example, we actually hear a message addressed to the insects, a call to warn them that there is nectar waiting for them in exchange for transporting pollen. And the same goes for the choice of colours. Flowers as we know them are relatively recent. Angiosperms, i.e. plants that have flowers and fruit from seed, appeared between 135 and 140 million years ago and were not so colourful to begin with: fossils suggest that they were simple, dull-looking structures without much pigment, pale yellow or green at most. Today, with the exception of ferns, conifers, cycads and mosses, the majority of plant communities belong to the Angiosperms. Slowly, with the appearance of flowers, we also see the emergence of today's bright colours, an increasingly sophisticated mechanism to encourage pollination not only by wind or water but also by attracting insects. Many flowers have thus evolved to adapt to the needs and abilities of bees. Bees are responsible for 80% of pollination, without which there would be no apples, blueberries, cherries, avocados, cucumbers, almonds, onions, grapefruits, oranges, pumpkins and more. And it is to attract bees that the bright colour of the petals has become an important adaptation variable. The poppy has developed some of the most fascinating and unexpected strategies because bees don't perceive the bright red colour visible to the human eye but are attracted to the ultraviolet. Humans perceive colour through the pigment of the object and the part of the light it reflects. In bees, on the other hand, the field of vision is a mosaic of cones that enable them to recognise a different range of colours, help the insect to stay balanced during flight and identify each flower around it precisely, even at high speeds. The red hue is not perceptible to the bee's eye, and research has shown that it only distinguishes four colours: yellow (orange, yellowish green), bluish green, blue and ultraviolet. Therefore, flowers that are bright red to our eyes, such as the red violet or Chinese carnations, are not fertilised by bees, but by daytime butterflies. On the other hand, flowers such as heather, rhododendron, cyclamen or clover have a purple hue that bees perceive as a blue colour, or a white colour perceived as bluish green. The poppy, however, is one of the few red flowers that most attracts bees. This is because the pigmented cells in its petals are arranged in such a way as to create air-filled spaces where the light is dispersed, allowing UV rays to be reflected and the ultraviolet range to be perceived by the bee, which then settles on it and fertilises it. And it is from the Sicilian, and in part Sardinian, shovels that the prickly pear arrives and invades Eritrea, planted both by 19th century Italian missionaries and by migrants of the first Italian colonization. Here, the beles, the name in Eritrean, are not only the fruit but also the nickname jokingly given by peers from the Horn of Africa to second-generation Eritreans living in Italy, because they arrive with the same punctuality as the fruit: in the summer rainy season, and then leave again. Today, Opuntia ficus-indica is used for a wide variety of products, both for its high nutritional value, rich in minerals, especially calcium, phosphorus and vitamin C, and for its mucilage, the substance that allows the plant to have water reserves. Thanks to this, the prickly pear has become a major player in eco-sustainable innovations. For example, a Mexican professor of chemical engineering, Sandra Pascoe Ortiz, has patented a plastic and biodegradable material: by mixing prickly pear juice with glycerin, proteins and natural waxes, she has obtained a liquid which, after being laminated and dried, becomes a completely non-toxic, biodegradable and edible bioplastic. In Italy, too, alternative uses of prickly pears are proliferating. For example, a glue for fresco restoration work has been experimented with using mucilage, and a textile industry has obtained cruelty-free eco-leather from its waste. But that's not all, there are also sunglasses made from their fibers, furniture and sculptural lamps made from the waste from shovels that are entirely biodegradable at the end of their life! GALLERY Photo ©CRISTINA ARCHINTO MORE ENVIRONMENT AND BOTANY Vie cave opuntia fiorita Opuntia Tree Caño Cristales Palmeti Palm trees Caldara di Manziana Steep land Tiber

Villa ''Il Pizzo'' overlooks Lake Como set into a long series of terraces, seemingly carved out of the mountain. Situated on a promontory called ''Pizzo'', which in Como dialect means ‘point' or ‘spit', the site was bought in 1435 by Giovanni Mugiasca, a rich merchant from Como. The Mugiasca family LOMBARDY Lago di Como VILLA PIZZO BY ALESSANDRA VALENTINELLI Villa ''Il Pizzo'' overlooks Lake Como set into a long series of terraces, seemingly carved out of the mountain. Situated on a promontory called ''Pizzo'', which in Como dialect means ‘point' or ‘spit', the site was bought in 1435 by Giovanni Mugiasca, a rich merchant from Como. The Mugiasca family built their country house here which only became a refined residence in 1569. In 1630 they fled here to escape the dreaded Manzonian Plague, offering hospitality to several friends in exchange for manual work which involved digging, levelling and terracing the land. Thus the present structure of the garden was created, later to be enlarged at the end of the 18th century by Bishop Giambattista Mugiasca. In the 19th century important improvements were undertaken by the architect Simone Cantoni and subsequently, on the extinction of the Mugiasca family, the complex passed to Arch-Duke Ranieri of Hapsburg, Viceroy of Lombardy-Veneto, who gave free rein to his passion for botany, summoning the famous gardener Villoresi from Monza Royal Palace. In 1865 the ''Pizzo'' passed to a French noblewoman Madame Musard, mistress of King William II of Holland, who dedicated herself to embellishing the Villa and Garden, subsequently leaving it to the Volpi-Bassani family, whose descendants are the present owners. In the areas nearest to the main buildings are geometric paths running between the flowerbeds, clipped topiary hedges and baroque fountains, typical of formal Italian gardens. The long, renowned Cypress Avenue distinguishes the Villa, even from the lake. Towards Moltrasio the garden increasingly conforms to the English romantic style, more luxuriant, with tall trees interlaced with a system of small paths bordered by a water grotto, pools, streams and the ''Fountain of Alessandro Volta'', often a guest of the Mugiasca family in Villa Pizzo. Among the illustrious personages who frequented the Villa during the Mugiasca ownership, there was also the famous scientist Alessandro Volta, remembered by a monument that the owners had built following his death in 1827. This is the very first historical monument dedicated to Volta. When the Mugiasca family died out, it was Ranieri d'Asburgo, viceroy of Lombardo-Veneto, who bought the property. He found at Pizzo the ideal place of rest and refuge from the complex political events of the time. At Pizzo the viceroy Ranieri did not arrive alone, but accompanied by the famous landscape architect Villoresi, already designer of the Villa Reale in Monza, who gave a unique and definitive structure to the large park around the Villa. Following the turbulent political events of the end of the nineteenth century, which resulted in the "Moti del 48", the viceroy left the Villa, which was purchased by the charming Parisian madame Elise Musard, who gave a very recognizable feminine touch to the Villa, dyeing it pink, as it has remained until today. When Madame Musard tragically left the Villa, the Volpi-Bassani family bought it and lived it respecting the architectural and stylistic choices of the past and adding elements of great value that can still be admired today in the park such as the family Mausoleum, built by renowned architect Luca Beltrami and the large dock, which overlooks the lake giving a wonderful panoramic view. The simple and geometric architecture of the Villa, with the sobriety of its decorations that intersect with the irregularity and variety of shapes, colors and styles of the gardens, combined with the uniqueness of the history and events that took place in Villa Pizzo over the centuries, make Pizzo a unique place on Lake Como. Gallery Photo ©CRISTINA ARCHINTO Links VILLA PIZZO MORE GARDENS AND PARKS Giardini Villa la Pergola Villa Lante Labirinto della Masone Giardino di Kenroku-en Giardino dell'impossibile Giardino di Ninfa Castello di Masino Parchi di Parigi

In May 1809 Naples opened on Via Foria "a Royal Garden of plants for the education of the public and to multiply the spices useful to health, agriculture and industry". The Botanical Garden of Naples is now managed by the University Federico II and is the second in Italy, after that of Padua, for groups of exotic plants: twenty-five thousand plants of nine thousand species combined. CAMPANIA BOTANIC GARDEN OF NAPLES By CARLA DE AGOSTINI On May 18th 1809, a 'Royal Botanical Garden for the education of the public and for the multiplication of spices useful to health, agriculture and industry' opened in Naples on Via Foria. The decree by which Joseph Bonaparte established it in 1807 concisely expresses the educational, medical, economic and productive aims of the new place. The foundations on which the Parthenopean kitchen garden is based will immediately distinguish it for the multiplicity of its functions and for its diversified plant heritage. Today it is managed by the Federico II University and is the second largest in Italy, after Padua, for exotic plant groups: twenty-five thousand plants of nine thousand species combined. After being devastated by Allied troops during the Second World War, the garden was reborn in 1948 with the construction of new greenhouses, the modernisation of the water supply and the increase in the collections of Cycadales, succulents and ferns. At the time of its foundation, the city of Naples was dominated by the French, and it immediately became one of the most prestigious scientific institutions of southern Italy. The first director was the Italian botanist Michele Tenore and it was he who, in a career spanning almost fifty years from 1808 to 1860, scientifically organised the garden and promoted its innovative botanical concept to Europe's leading botanical institutions. The initial importance of research was soon complemented by the social importance of architect Vincenzo Paoletti's decision to enhance the landscape by creating a "public promenade" for visitors, with wide tree-lined avenues and pleasant paths through the greenery. This choice has continued to the present day, with free access to the vegetable garden to allow everyone, from children to the elderly, to enjoy a place of such great interest all year round. The garden now boasts a Filiceto, a Palm Grove, a Desert area and a collection of Cycadales of considerable importance. In the Filiceto, located in a hollow, the conditions of shade and humidity necessary for growing ferns are reproduced. From the Latin fĭlix, the Filiceto is surrounded by a belt of trees that protects the area from excessive sunlight, while streams and an artificial pond, together with abundant and frequent watering, maintain the ideal microclimate. From here, where water reserves are plentiful, an ecological itinerary begins, illustrating the importance of water in biodiversity, and ends in the desert, where water resources are scarce. In the collection of succulent plants of the Desert, arranged on sandy soil to prevent stagnation and with some specimens covered in winter, there are remarkable specimens of mammilaria, notocactus, Wilcoxia Viperina, Opuntia and American Agave. The primitive world of the Cycadales holds the record for the oldest seeded plants alive today, and the Botanical Garden has one of the most important collections of these in the world, both in terms of the number of species and genera, so much so that some of the genus Dion are grown only in Naples. Also of note here is the Cycas revoluta donated in 1813 by Maria Carolina Bonaparte, consort of the King of Naples Joachim Murat, in gratitude for the Terrazza Carolina, a structure of the garden that has now disappeared. At present, the plant, which is almost 200 years old, has reached a remarkable height of about 5 metres. Cycas revoluta is the only species of the Cycadaceae family that has had great success as an ornamental plant; it is widely found in parks and gardens in mild climate regions. The common name Cycas is not a diminutive but is linked to its similarity to palms: it derives from koykas, a word of Greek origin used to indicate an unidentified palm. The garden also includes a citrus grove, the Chalet, an area designed for the visually impaired, and the Serra Merola, which recreates tropical rainforests and the coastal ecosystem of Mexican mangroves. The most recently established area is dedicated to the plants of the Bible, hosting some of the species mentioned in the most significant episodes of the Old and New Testament, such as myrrh or olive trees. The area reserved for Magnoliophyta is still under construction and will show the evolution of flowering plants, in line with the most recent discoveries in Systematic Botany. A visit to the Parthenopean garden represents not only an opportunity to learn about and explore the world of botany but also a unique opportunity to enjoy an unexpectedly calm, unique and original Naples just a few steps from the busy Via Foria. Translation Greta Arancia Sanna GALLERY Info: Official website Magnolia Photo ©CRISTINA ARCHINTO more botanical gardens and nurseries Orto Botanico di Zurigo e la Serra Malgascia Giardino Botanico Nuova Gussonea Orto Botanico di Catania Orto Botanico di Ginevra Centro Botanico Moutan Orto Botanico di Palermo Roseto di Roma Chicago Batanical Garden

Today the Hanbury Gardens are not only of scientific interest and a feast for the eyes, but they also offer a unique insight into the history of botanical studies. The current collections are a reflection of the succession of the individual curators, the ties formed with botanical gardens around the LIGURIA VENTIMIGLIA HANBURY BOTANICAL GARDENS BY ALESSANDRA VALENTINELLI Today the Hanbury Gardens are not only of scientific interest and a feast for the eyes, but they also offer a unique insight into the history of botanical studies. The current collections are a reflection of the succession of the individual curators, the ties formed with botanical gardens around the world, and the thoughtfulness of the owners, which developed over the long years spent in La Mortola. For these reasons the different blooming calendars embrace the alternating of months and explain the succession of “cultural periods” relating to the acquisition of the collections. The Hanbury Gardens first started as a nursery for the acclimation of exotic plants. The gardens still retain their original purpose amid its century old specimens that are an integral part of the plant collection: the Pinus canariensis, the Araucaria from Queensland, the Casimiroa and its edible fruits, were all imported between 1868 and 1872. These stand witness to the pharmacopoeia studies conducted by Sir Thomas's brother, the botanist Daniel Hanbury. When taking a walk around the Palace, one actually walks through a living record of the voyages, the memories and the relationships the Hanbury weaved with all corners of the Earth: the pomegranate tree that lined the loggia, the Banksia that Sir Thomas brought back from China, the Samuela, a Mexican desert Yucca variety discovered in 1900 by William Trelease, and the Cupressus lusitanica donated by Gustave Thuret, the director of the Jardin des Plantes of Antibes in 1869. In 1912 this tree measured 16 metres in height and had a 1.7 metres circumference. It now tops 25 metres and has a diameter of 5 metres. The same can be said of the "Topia", the pergola that adorned Marquis Orengo’s gardens, side by side to where wisterias, clematis, bignonias and thunbergias, the Semele from the Canary Islands, the Homalocladium from the Solomon Islands, and the Vietnamese Tetrastigma thrive. Behind the Palace lies the steeper part of the gardens. Here, one can find the most faithful blueprint of the project mapped out by Ludwig Winter according to Sir Thomas Hanbury’s wishes. One of the reasons was the building constraints of the irrigation system and the consolidation of walls made right after the purchase of the estate, in order to outfit the old terrace formations. Walking eastbound one finds the succulent slope. Here the African aloes planted by Kurt Dinter are predominant. Later Alwin Berger populated it with many American cacti varieties. Three hundred and twenty five species of Aloe: the columnar A.principis, the creeping A.mitriformis, the lithe A.striatula, the pink blanketing of the Drosanthemum, and over one hundred varieties of agave and cacti, among which are the Yucca elephantipes and australis, the deep carmine colours of the Schotia brachypetala and the the Beaucarnea stricta and recurvata. Whereas, walking westbound one reaches the "Grande Route", that was designed by Winter and was also accessible by cars. The palm grove is visible upon arrival, but so are the rarest species personally handpicked by the Hanburys: the Musa paradisiacal maurelii and cavendishi banana trees, native to tropical Africa; the Brahea dulcis and armata palms trees; the Microcitrus, an Australian wild citrus variety; the Chiranthodendron pentadactylon discovered in the mid-nineteenth century in Guatemala; the Ginkgo biloba that back then could only be obtained from inland China; the Chicas revoluta and the Macrozamia, two family varieties that date back to the Mesozoic Era; the Saharan Ephedra altissima and the Chilean Quillaja saponaria evergreen. The diverse variety of plants, which adapted differently to the local climate and that were planted in close proximity, resulted in a blooming season that lasted year round. This display is still visible today, with the turning of the seasons, and may be viewed at all times on the terraced slopes adjacent to the villa by simply letting the eye wander along the subtropical plants of the "Four Seasons Garden", which bloom from winter to late summer, or the “Japanese Garden” that harbours irises, daffodils and plum trees, or from the roses and peonies expanse, up to the pathway that heads to the villa, lined with the aromatic plants: sage, thyme, lavender and marjoram, and also the fragrant scent of wintersweet, of jasmine, honeysuckle and bitter orange trees. South of the villa, next to the garden paths that originally lead to the Gardens and the “Vista Nuova”, the panoramic entrance inaugurated by Lady Dorothy Hanbury in 1920, is the Australian Forest with its Eucalyptus citriodora and sideroxylon, the Melaleuca preissiana and cuticularis, and the Sterculiaceae Brachychiton discolour. The Meadow lies just across from the Iulia Augusta Roman Road, which cuts across the garden from east to west. In the letters written by Sir Thomas to his wife Katharine, he describes it as a wilderness, a scrubland expanse. At the very centre is the centuries-old olive grove that belonged to the Orengo Family. In the lower half of the Meadow one can see the displays brought about by Lady Dorothy, all commissioned after the disappearance of her in-laws. With the help of Sir Cecil Hanbury, husband and heir to the estate, of her father John Frederic Symons-Jeune, and of her brother Bertram Hanmer Bunbury Symons-Jeune, the former a landscape architect whilst the latter a nurseryman specialized in rock gardens, the Meadow is embellished by ancient cultivars: citrus shrubs and exotic fruits trees native to the valleys of Liguria. Adjacent to the “Viale degli Ulivi” (the Olive Path), which leads to the coast, are lemons, grapefruit, tangerines, clementines and countless varieties of Citrus: citrons, myrtle-leaved oranges, bergamots and sweet and bitter oranges. On the eastern slope, one finds cultivations of South American and New Zealander fruit trees, Chinese quinces, peach and loquats, or Japanese medlars, local mountain ashes, hazelnuts, jujube and pistachio varieties. Finally, near the coastline, scattered among the pines, is the rockrose and the sage field. One can also admire the Acacia karroo with its large thorns and a young male tree of Olmediella betschleriana native of Mexico. The only other specimen of this tree present in the whole of the European continent is a female one. It can be found in the Naples Botanical Garden. In 1960, following the aftermath of WWII and the destruction caused by the opposing French and German fronts, Dorothy sold the Gardens to the Italian government. The Italian government placed them under the historical building and landscape Protection Act. In 1983, the University of Genoa took charge of the estate and in the year 2000 it became a “Protected Marine Area”. Today with 2,500 taxa, a mixture of old and new plants, the Department of Botany also manages a Germplasm or Seed Bank for the conservation of endemic biodiversity, the latter being at risk in the Ligurian Alps. An on-going project is the Herbaria, established by the original gardeners and curators. This brings us full circle, linking the Hanburys’ dreams and hopes for a brighter future in today’s botanical studies and all researches to come. Photo © CRISTINA ARCHINTO Info: www.giardinihanbury.com More botanical gardens and nurseries Orto Botanico di Ginevra Orto Botanico di Ginevra Centro Botanico Moutan Orto Botanico di Palermo Roseto di Roma Chicago Batanical Garden Giardino Esotico Pallanca Parco Botanico Villa Rocca