Italian Gardens

One of the longest running styles in the world of home gardening is that of Italian gardens. The best thing about an Italian garden lies in just how versatile the style is. This style (or theme) for your garden will work on anything from the size of a patio, to something that will affect your entire landscape—no matter how large it may be. Perhaps this theme's greatest strength lies in the fact that it is so simple that even the most novice of home gardeners can take advantage of it.

In order to create a truly unique, and wonderful, Italian garden of your own, all that you need to do is follow these simple guidelines. Following these simple guidelines will allow you the greatest possible latitude in order to find what works for you, while staying within the Italian theme.

• Stylization. Italian gardens are usually highly stylized. What this means is that Italian gardens typically have a formal feel to them, while still being extremely functional. This means that the Italian garden is separated into different sections, each having a different function. Some of these sections would be things like an orchard, a patio or sitting area, a little herb garden, flower beds, and a water element of some kind. For the larger landscapes, there might even be a maze of some kind planted of hedgerows.
• History. When planning your Italian garden, use elements that help evoke a sense of history. While it may be nice to have architecture or elements that look bright and new, a nice twist would be to make things look a little older. For example, you can have "ruins" that have ivy climbing over it, or some other historically appealing sight.
• Art. For a successful Italian garden, you will need to add an artistic touch to your garden. This could be through the use of statues that evoke the ancient Roman gods and myths. Perhaps you would like to use an attractive fountain, or small pond to add a little touch. Maybe you could use a fresco, or a mosaic. Whatever artistic element you end up deciding on, you need to have one in your garden.
• Materials. When making your Italian garden, use materials that will help evoke a sense of age and beauty. For example, marble is a common material that is used in many Italian gardens, but it can be a expensive. In contrast to marble, an affordable alternative would be to use concrete that has been stamped to look like marble, or even wood and living trees that are strategically placed.