To set up a private garden, it is necessary to consider some preventive considerations that could be binding for its realization, namely:
- extension of the area intended for the creation of the garden
- exposure
- climatic and environmental conditions
- types of irrigation
- types of land
- type and materials of any containers for potted plants
- coexistence between species
- possible limiting factors
- possible proximity to urban areas
The dimensions of the area available for fitting out represent the most important discriminant, as they could affect the choice of plants:
- arboreal plants (if the cultivable area is sufficiently large)
- shrubby plants
- bushy plants
- evergreen plants (to ensure a vital aspect of the garden even during the winter months)
- climbing plants (when you want to cover walls, palisades or espaliers, for ornamental purposes)
- herbaceous plants
- flowering plants (to create colored and ornamental corners)
- Mediterranean plants (if the garden is in an area with this type of climate)
- aromatic plants (to set up a fragrant and well-usable corner)
- fat plants
- rustic plants
- aquatic plants (if there is a body of water)
Finally it is always useful to organize the area that can be cultivated in a varied way, with ornamental areas that alternate with shaded areas; with evergreen corners coexisting with espaliers or palisades covered with climbing plants, with benches, tables and chairs positioned under umbrellas or gazebos, possibly with swings, to give the garden a decorative but also usable appearance.
SHADOW AREAS
CHESTNUT
It is a very long-lived deciduous tree, deciduous, which includes an imposing and columnar stem, up to 30 m high, covered with a smooth and glossy bark, of a greyish-brown color. The leaves have a lanceolate shape with a serrated edge and a sharp apex, with an alternate arrangement, and form a thick and rounded crown. The male flowers are white and gathered in glomerulus-shaped inflorescences; the female flowers only isolated and wrapped in numerous bracts. The fruit, brown and glossy, has a rounded shape with a pointed apex and a convex base: it is the chestnut, edible and tasty for humans. It appears enclosed in a green and thorny shell called a hedgehog, which opens when fully ripe. It requires a fresh and deep soil with an acid and non-calcareous component. It is a species well adaptable to different climatic conditions.
BEECH TREE
It is an ornamental tree, with an erect and columnar stem, up to 30 40 meters high, which supports a thick and luxuriant conical crown. The leaves are oval in shape, with a wavy edge and have evident veins, of a bright green color, petiolate and with an alternate insertion. The flowers are gathered in inflorescences: the male ones have the appearance of pendulous glomeruli, the female ones are formed by 2 or 3 flowers wrapped in numerous bracts. The fruit is a small triangular nut enclosed in a hard shell, similar to a hedgehog, and is edible for humans. It is a plant that is well suited to both the various types of soil and the different climatic conditions.
CLIMBING AREA
WISTERIA
It is a shrubby and climbing plant, which has pinnate leaves formed by small light green leaves with the opposite insertion. The flowers, purplish pink, are clustered in pendulous inflorescences, extremely perfumed. The flowering lasts throughout the spring until the beginning of summer and is very luxuriant. The plant is used to create ornamental areas at the level of espaliers, pergolas, or to cover gazebos. It requires a soft, well-drained soil, fertile due to the addition of organic substance and a clayey component. It must be housed in sunny areas of the garden because it fears the cold.
CLEMATIS
It is a climbing plant, evergreen, with very thin and semi-woody stems, suitable for covering walls. The leaves, petiolate or sessile, have an intense green color and are covered by a thick whitish hair. The flowers, very showy and decorative, have a corolla with 7 long petals well separated from each other, pink, purple or lilac. It requires a soft, fresh and well-drained soil. It must be exposed in very sunny areas of the balcony, even under direct sunlight, as flowering does not occur if the light is not sufficient. It prefers mild temperatures and fears the cold.
private gardens: SEMPREVERDE AREA
LAUREL
It is an evergreen shrub, up to 5-8 m tall, used to form hedges; it has a semi-woody stem, with elongated, glossy leaves, with continuous margins, scented due to the presence of resin-secreting glands. The male flowers are yellow , the female ones are white, of small dimensions. The fruits are black drupes. It requires a compact, well-drained, fertile soil, enriched with organic substance. It must be exposed in well-sunny environments, and at temperatures never below zero.
LAVENDER
It is a bushy, aromatic and evergreen plant, belonging to the Mediterranean scrub, which forms thick and ornamental tufts with rapid growth. The stem is herbaceous, up to a meter high, and holds narrow and elongated silvery green leaves. The flowers are gathered in spike inflorescences, purple in color, very fragrant. It requires a well-drained soil, preferably a limestone component. Being a rustic variety, it is well adaptable and durable.