The mild temperatures have delayed a lot of the garden work and changed the growth habits of most of our plants. Our beloved bulbs in particular, needed a short cold spell after their hibernation phase between September and December, but have had to adapt to the milder climate during this period.
Vignamaggio’s gardening team, guided by landscape architects Francesca & Francesca, selected a variety of playful shapes and intense fragrances, in harmony with the colours and carefree atmosphere of the Pensione.
HOW THEY ARE PLANTED
- After clearing weeds and roots from the soil and digging it to incorporate air, the bulbs are carefully placed in the holes.
- The depth of the holes is determined by the average height of the future stem of the plant; in fact the height and depth are directly proportional.
- A light, sand and compost rich topsoil is added to the holes.
- As we plant the little bulbs, we add a slow-release fertilizer to guarantee adequate nourishment throughout their growing period.
- Ogni varietà è piantata in gruppi di circa 10 bulbi, per creare un effetto scenografico al momento della fioritura.
- To create a floral display when they flower, each variety is planted in groups of about 10 bulbs.
PRUNING
After each flowering period, we will wait for the leaves die and then can we prune the plant. The tulips are an exception as only the dead flower will be removed, and it will not be necessary to cut the plant back. Pruning allows the plant to store as much energy as possible to enable a second flowering after the dormant season.
This makes sure our guests will always be delighted by flowers scattered around the garden, unexpected little explosions of colour that will last the whole summer long.
THE BULBS
- The crocus, of the Iridaceae family, is a perennial plant found in Europe, North Africa and Asia. Its iconic cupped-shaped flower will colour the Pensione’s garden yellow, white and purple. After the snow and the cold, when the air warms a little, the crocus peeps out on the embankment like a shy messenger of spring. Other than its presence in the kitchen as the base of delicious dishes (in fact, saffron is produced from crocus sativas), the crocus also produces a delicious pollen to delight bees and other garden insects.
- Narcissus is a bulb belonging to the Amaryllidaceae family, found in sunny western European fields and forests, and in Mediterranean Africa. The name may be derived from the Greek narkao, due to its inebriant narcotic-like fragrance that will delight visitors to the garden. To guarantee their rigorous flowering, we take care of the arial part by not cutting it and leaving the white and yellow flowers to dry naturally on the plant.
- The tulip is a member of the Liliaceae family, and commonly associated with Holland, its largest producer and exporter. But tulips also grow in China, Iran, Anatolia and North Africa. To create chromatically contrasting colours, we selected salmon red, red and yellow tulips.
- Hyacinths have beautiful star shaped flowers that grown in a cluster. They are delicately fragranced and have been panted in small patches flanking the garden’s perennials and evergreens. They were originally imported from Western Asia to Padova’s botanical garden at the end of the 16th The first garden hybrids were brought to Italy from Holland at the end of the seventh century.
- Renuculas are herbaceous plants with origins in Asia and grown in sixteenth century Tuscan gardens. There are over five hundred species, but the variety we have chosen for our garden is the wild one, with the characteristic five petalled bright yellow flower that we often find scattered on the fields and hills surrounding the Pensione.