The making of the Italian garden

The Creation of our "Italian" Garden

After Hurricane Fran in the fall of 1996 "rearranged' our back yard we were left with an open sunny back yard (which previously had been a heavily wooded shady yard). Looking at the yard we realized that it naturally divided into 3 areas and so we decided to make 3 "rooms" of the yard: an "Italian" garden, an English garden and a Japanese garden.

It took us all of 1997 to clear the yard of all the underbrush and ivy and cut down a few more trees that were left leaning. We had about 50 tree stumps ground out and we started reading and planning our new landscape design (not knowing what we were getting into). In 1998 we worked on grading (by hand) the whole back yard, planted shrubs around the perimeter of the yard and in the fall we started laying out the "Italian" garden. (At the same time the huge remodeling project inside our house was going on.) In the spring of 1999 Bruce put down the patio blocks and we started the planting in the "Italian" garden.

April 1998 This is the area (after the clearing and before the grading) which we will make into the "Italian" graden. October 1998 Bruce has built a berm along the backof the area, leveled the front and is building forms in preparation to laying down patio blocks. May 1999 The patio blocks are down, shrubs planted along the back, 2 raised beds put in and we bought a fountain. We will wait until cooler weather in the fall to start planting.

April 2000 The results of our planting last fall and early this spring. The 2 front areas are knot gardens planted with herbs: santolina, basil, parsley, thyme, oregano, sage, and rosemary. The ice plants (Delospermia Cooperi) that we planted last fall on top of the wall next to the fountain are doing well. The plants are growing and filling out. The santolina is planted on the diagonals of the knot gardens. That's Greek basil in front on the left and thyme in front on the right.

In June Bruce built the arbor on the left. A path will lead through the arbor into a small natural area and then into the Japanese garden. The raised beds in the middle are planted with blue ageratum and white begonias. Here you can see the detail of the patio blocks. The tanacetum blooming behind the fountain was, shortly after this, eaten by the rabbits that plague us.

Here is the garden in early spring, 2001. The azaleas, dianthus and pansies are blooming. Back in the fall, we planted these pansies in the raised beds and here they are in the spring. Bruce says that everytime he walks by these pansies, he feels as if there are a hundred eyes looking at him.

These dianthus have a wonderful frangrannce. To be different, we decided this year to plant marigolds and salvia Victoria Blue in the raised beds. We've had a very wet summer and unfortunately lost some of our santolina in the front knot gardens, so we replaced it with begonias and asters. Here's the Italian garden the end of August, 2001.

To see the "English" turned "Southern Cottage" garden, click here

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April 1998 This is the area (after the clearing and before the grading) which we will make into the "Italian" graden.	October 1998 Bruce has built a berm along the backof the area, leveled the front and is building forms in preparation to laying down patio blocks.	May 1999 The patio blocks are down, shrubs planted along the back, 2 raised beds put in and we bought a fountain. We will wait until cooler weather in the fall to start planting.


April 2000 The results of our planting last fall and early this spring. The 2 front areas are knot gardens planted with herbs: santolina, basil, parsley, thyme, oregano, sage, and rosemary.	The ice plants (Delospermia Cooperi) that we planted last fall on top of the wall next to the fountain are doing well.	The plants are growing and filling out. The santolina is planted on the diagonals of the knot gardens. That's Greek basil in front on the left and thyme in front on the right.


In June Bruce built the arbor on the left. A path will lead through the arbor into a small natural area and then into the Japanese garden.	The raised beds in the middle are planted with blue ageratum and white begonias.	Here you can see the detail of the patio blocks.	The tanacetum blooming behind the fountain was, shortly after this, eaten by the rabbits that plague us.


Here is the garden in early spring, 2001. The azaleas, dianthus and pansies are blooming.	Back in the fall, we planted these pansies in the raised beds and here they are in the spring.	Bruce says that everytime he walks by these pansies, he feels as if there are a hundred eyes looking at him.


These dianthus have a wonderful frangrannce.	To be different, we decided this year to plant marigolds and salvia Victoria Blue in the raised beds.	We've had a very wet summer and unfortunately lost some of our santolina in the front knot gardens, so we replaced it with begonias and asters. Here's the Italian garden the end of August, 2001.