The Vatican Gardens are said to be one of the most beautiful places on earth. Hundreds of thousands of people are visiting this amazing place each year in order to see some of the beauty it has. It is described as the perfect balance between nature and man-made sculptures. Here you can see a lot of different trees, plants and some, one of a kind flowers. The tour can take a few hours, so there are a lot of pathways, with rest areas where you can sit back, relax, and just enjoy nature.
If you are a homeowner and if you have your own garden in the backyard, you probably want to steal some ideas from the Vatican and transform your yard into a masterpiece. Here we are going to talk more about this place and how the look has been maintained for more than 800 years. You can learn some tricks that you can use for your own home and make it look like it was made by the best gardeners.
Long Tradition
These gardens have been maintained from the early 1500s when the wooden columns and wires were installed. Back then the plants included only roses and myrtle. Later on, climbing plants were introduced, including trellises, pergolas, and espaliers. It is said that these plants are low maintenance, but you have to keep an eye on how high you let them grow.
If you are interested in using any of these flowers and plants in your yard, you should put them somewhere near the fence or the wall of the house, so they can climb their way up and make the whole space look greener.
The way they are maintained in the Vatican is that they are checked regularly and if there are any stems that are damaged, diseased or unproductive, they are removed right away. If they start to tangle, the plants are directed and if necessary, removed. The growth is not limited and they can grow as high as possible, but if you introduce climbing plants in your home, you will need to trim them from time to time.
History
This urban garden is with the size of almost 60 acres (that is close to 25 hectares) and right now it is owned by Pope Benedict XVI. It was founded in the late 1200s by Pope Nicholas III and it is getting more and more beautiful each year. The whole place is a combination of nature, birds, and sculptures, with some subtle elements that represent religion and belief. No matter if you want to feel closer to God, or if you just want to witness the history, this is one of the places you have to visit at least once in your life.
This place is considered a biotope and the original use of it was for medical plants only. As time went by and new plants were introduced, the garden started getting the look we can see nowadays. Statistics show that there are more than 300 different types of plants and trees in the Vatican Garden and some of them include:
- Coral Trees
- Sequoias
- Olives
- Limes
- Canary Palms
- Dwarf Palms
- Cedars and Pines
- Gum Trees
- Apples, Pears and Cherries
- Beech Trees and Cypresses
- Tree Maintenance
The trees need to be cared for if you want them to grow and blossom. Even though Italy has a warm climate, all of the plants need to be regularly maintained and prepared for the winter. The trees in the Vatican Gardens are trimmed and they are treated with special products every fall. These products help protect the trunk of the trees and it keeps them safe from any snow or harsh weather.
To protect your own backyard and to ensure that they will survive any weather, you have to be smart and use the right products. If you have a bigger yard and if you planted a lot of trees, then you have to check which products are right for them. Sometimes caring about all of the plants may seem like a difficult task, so if you want to just sit back, relax, and know that your garden is taken care of, you should check this.
There are a lot of professional gardening services that work on maintaining the whole look of the Vatican and they have different treatments and care for each of the plants. They are trimmed, protected and if needed, cut to keep the look of the whole place.
Styles
One of the most interesting things about this place is that it features three different styles. When you visit the Gardens, you can see the Italian, French, and English styles. Even though they feature similar plants and trees, they are built in their respective styles and with different characteristics.
If we look at each style separately, we can notice that the Renaissance is the main theme in the Italian style. It has geometric features and it looks formal. Water is the main theme in the French part. It features Baroque style and it is said that this part defers the mostly. The transition between the styles is subtle and you will feel like you are part of something whole. Last but not least, the English style features geometric shapes, but here you can see a lot of artificial as well as natural features. In the English part of the Gardens, you will be able to look at the natural caves and streams, but you can also check the temples and the ruins. It is said that the most beautiful trees, plants, and shrubs are located in this part of the Vatican.
This is one of the most beautiful places in the world, and if you ever go to Italy, you should definitely visit the Vatican. Many bird watchers suggest that here you can see birds that you cannot see anywhere else in the world. You should leave at least one whole day for this place because you will not have enough time to see everything if you only plan to stay there for a few hours. You should always talk to your travel agency and see tours because you cannot enter the Gardens without a tour guide. Check the opening hours and days before you make a plan, as it is not open to the public every day.
