ITALIAN GARDENS
#The formal garden par excellence
Dellavalle Gardens has a special love for Italian gardens. A style originating in the late-Renaissance, it is characterised by a geometric division of spaces achieved with rows of trees and hedges, topiary pieces “sculpted” using clippers with skill and ancient knowledge, and prospects that entrust to the language of geometry the task of highlighting the emotions and sentiments of order, calm and reflection. Italian gardens include geometric stretches of water, often flanked with architectural features such as fountains, walls and statues. It is a style which finds it origins in the old villas of the nobility which were surrounded by spaces made as alluring as the house itself through the special arrangement of trees and flowers or terraces and roof gardens. Imitated for centuries all over the world, the Italian garden is our national pride, and one which we want to interpret not only with respect but also with a sense of innovation and contrast, for example through the inclusion in the design of contemporary works of art.
EVOLUTION OVER TIME
The unique and elegant style of the Italian garden was born in Italy in the 15th century, in the noble villas of the upper classes and as an ornamental feature of large residences and castles. Socio-historical evolution and available spaces becoming increasingly reduced due to being adapted to contemporary homes has brought about the need for new interpretations: today, Dellavalle Gardens has identified the guidelines that allow Italian gardens to be created even in the small spaces of homes, condominiums, terraces and roof gardens: tiny or large green jewels, always in perfect proportion, which bring the Italian garden into the reality of life today and in the future.
TOPIARY ART
Topiary is one of the special characteristics of the Italian garden. This term of ancient Latin origin defines the art of pruning evergreen plants to obtain precise forms, both geometric and those from nature (humans, animals, objects...). With this kind of artistic pruning, we can create mazes and attractive paths guided by sculpted hedges. For a long-lasting flawless effect, evergreen plants of limited growth that are suitable for pruning and sprouting over their lifetime are preferred, such as box (Buxus semprevirens), various species and varieties of cyprus (Cupressus, Cupressocyparis leylandii...), yew (Taxus baccata) and others.
TOPIARY ART
ITALIAN GARDEN DETAILS
STYLISTIC
FEATURES
01 / INFO
Statues, fountains, arbours, decorative wells and other artistic and architectural elements are the features of a typical Italian garden, where contemporary art works can also be found. The combination of greenery and architecture creates a formal and ordered landscape in which an intimate and private relaxation zone or “secret garden” can also be included, hidden by the surrounding vegetation, a place for rest and social meetings in peace and tranquillity.
BOTANICAL
SELECTION
02 / INFO
Shrubs and hedges are the main greenery elements in an Italian garden; their symmetrical arrangement, supporting lawns or gravel, are used to frame and enhance particular features, such as fountains or trees. Plants which have been sculpted using topiary into geometric or figurative forms are a typical element; these sculpted plant forms give character, personality and originality to Italian garden designs. Pruning in geometric shapes allows the design of special works such as mazes, tunnels, vegetal walls and colonnades for the client. Colour and seasonal variation come from the flowers in geometric flowerbeds: seasonal and perennial plants, flowering bushes and roses. The green of the low hedges surrounding the flowerbeds highlights the colours of the flowers.
ELEMENTS
& FIXTURES
03 / INFO
An important element which is characteristic of the Italian garden is water, in artificial lakes, ponds and stone pools, fountains, streams and elegant canals that connect basins and fountains. Water softens the garden’s geometric shapes and creates a calming and refreshing sonorous background. Other fixtures are statues and sculptures inspired by the classical tradition, vases and pitchers, benches and other seating. We can also include contemporary art and design elements: a contrast which creates a significant emotional impact.
CARE &
MAINTENANCE
04 / INFO
An Italian garden requires care and dedication. Its beauty remains intact only if the plants strictly retain their desired shape. The maintenance plans offered by Dellavalle Gardens are designed to protect the order, style and health of the plants. The client interested in an Italian garden must be aware of the maintenance, expertise and time it requires; he or she may, therefore, count on the skilled workforce of Dellavalle Garden to maintain the garden perfectly over time.
