Mates Piante Società agricola – Botanical Dry Garden

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This nursery was established by Luca Agostini in 1994 and covers an area of about 10 acres.
Cultivation is mainly focused on Mediterranean plants, including those of Australian origin that can adapt to the local climate; they’re placed in special containers and recultivated with a radical anti-spiralling system designed to prevent the roots from spiralling, ending up throttling and making the plant struggle to adapt to the ground.

The “Botanical Dry Garden” system is a new one currently being tested in this nursery; it aims at creating a garden without any irrigation need and with low maintenance. This experiment is carried out in the large test garden adjacent to the nursery, where species and varieties of plants with low water requirements – ideal for dry gardens – are thoroughly studied and developed.

In the garden, there is no irrigation system and water is supplied only during the initial rooting, if it does not rain enough or in the case of particularly dry summers. Under any circumstances, irrigation is always carried out in a single solution and with lots of water – a system that is the opposite of traditional gardening techniques.

The garden shows its very best in spring-summer but due to its huge variety of species, some eye-catching color contrasts and wondrous blooms can be enjoyed all year round.
There are about 2.000 species in the nursery, including over 50 varieties of oleander (Nerium oleander), collections of helichrysum, asters, Teucrium, rosemary, thyme, cistus and artemisia.

The Waterless Garden – Botanical Dry Garden

Next to the nursery, Luca Agostini has created a large demonstration garden, dedicated to plants capable of growing without irrigation. Patches of evergreen shrubs and silver leaves, from Teucrium to rosemary, lavender and many other plants with a Mediterranean climate are alternated with the soft tufts of ornamental grasses, lighting up in spring and summer with a thousand small flowers.

The heart of the garden is the amphitheatre surrounded by several cypresses, designed to host concerts and other art performances, as well as the evocative installations of weathering steel structures from the “Musicalia” collection (dedicated to music and created by landscape architect Vittorio Peretto).

Photos courtesy of Vittorio Peretto

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)