“People came from far and wide to see the Italian Gardens and buy a honeycomb or damson jam in the farm shop. The wool from the sheep and the cheese from the goats drew buyers in a queue the day they were ready for purchase. In June, the pick-your-own strawberry fields were filled with children carrying baskets of berries, their lips stained red with sweet juice. In August, the dahlia fields were so flush with color that the cloudy days seemed brighter, and in autumn the apple and pear orchards were woven through with ladders and littered with overflowing bushels.” BerriesFruitsHarvestingSeasonalDahliasOrchardsVisitsPreservativesItalian Gardens Book:The Forbidden Garden Source: The Forbidden Garden
“One cannot analyse the character of European gardens without looking beyond the Mediterranean. This is because horticulture, palace life and city-building developed in the Fertile Crescent before spreading, via Crete, Greece, Egypt and Italy to the forests of Europe” HorticultureEnglish GardensItalian GardensFrench GardensGerman Gardens Book:European Gardens: History, Philosophy and Design Source: European Gardens: History, Philosophy and Design