TAKE ONE
Gardener News
TAKE ONE
Serving the Agricultural, Gardening and Landscaping Communities
October 2018
GARDENERNEWS.COM
No. 186
The Vatican Gardens & Those Amazing “Broccoli Trees” By Bob LaHoff Nursery Specialist Picking up on where I left off last month, I finished the summer right where I started it, touring gardens. I have a very good friend, Dan, who sells travel. Dan has always had the ability to put me in the right place at the right time, and for our summer vacation this year our families traveled to Italy together. As Dan was planning every minute detail of our trip (Dan is a bit obsessive) he asked if there was an experience that I would enjoy doing. Casually, over dinner, I asked if he could get a tour of The Vatican Gardens. Eight hours later, it was done! A private tour of the Gardens, with a certified Vatican historian, takes thoughtful planning in advance. However, in the end, it is totally worth it. Formally known as The Gardens of Vatican City, informally as The Vatican Gardens, these are private urban gardens and parks owned by the Pope. Imagine a sovereign territory, the world’s smallest country, where nearly half of its total land mass is covered in magnificent gardens. Now imagine centuries of the Papacy putting their own personal stamp on what
they have all held dear. A place where faith and nature intersect, holding hundreds of different plant genus only to be outnumbered by precious artifacts, many given to the Papacy in kind. Temples, fountains, statues, towers, houses, an airport, a railway station, even a replicated grotto are all maintained and held within its towering walls. Mediterranean plants coupled with exotic species from around the globe are punctuated by lawn panels and century-old trees. Hedges made from unconventional plants like southern Magnolia, Magnolia grandiflora and bay leaf, help frame the iconic dome of The Papal Basilica of St. Peter, capturing it in a way seldom seen. The “Dome,” principally designed by architect Donato Bramante, was later passed to Michelangelo in 1547. The final touches, if you will, came from Giacomo della Porta, a pupil of Michelangelo, Domenico Fontana and Carlo Maderno. Michelangelo died in 1564, never seeing this project’s completion. Pope Nicholas III moved his residence from the Lateran Palace to the Vatican in 1279 and here is where it all began. A large wall was erected around vineyards and orchards and in the 16th
Bob LaHoff/Photo
Gardener’s Lodge “Casina del Giardiniere,” framed by Pinus pinea, “Broccoli Trees” century, under Julius II, the gardens underwent a bit of a “facelift.” Architect Donato Bramante brought a more theatrical Renaissance emphasis to this space. The Gardens are divided into three distinct styles, representing Italian, English and French design. The Vatican Garden’s soil, supposedly, was brought back from the Holy Land by St. Helena. Whatever soil the plants are in, it is obvious that
they continue to flourish in it. Fifty-five gardeners, I was told by my tour guide Valentina, maintain the various gardens and attend to every detail. Valentina, my certified personal guide for the Vatican, answered every historical question I had. She appreciated my love for plants and was struck by my eagerness to see as many plants in the garden as possible. “I have never given a tour quite like this before” she said, as I continued to lead her around the gardens
trying to identify every plant that I could. The punctuality of the Italians was something that I very much appreciated. Every tour that I took on vacation was met on time and with enthusiasm. Upon entering the Gardens, one of the first plants that I saw was Maidenhair fern, Adiantum. Having foliage reminiscent of Ginkgo leaves, that was an easy I.D. for me that kept repeating itself throughout the garden, particularly at the end of (Cont. on Page 8)