The History of Italian Gardens and Italian Citrus

Growing Joy with Plants - Wellness Rooted in Nature, Houseplants, Gardening and Plant Care

Maria Failla- Happy Plant Lady and Author of Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness

Education, How To, Health & Fitness, Mental Health, Home & Garden, Leisure

4.8 • 883 Ratings

🗓️ 3 October 2023

⏱️ 61 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Ever heard the saying, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade"? You bet those lemons might have come from an Italian garden, plant friends! To celebrate Italian American Heritage Month, this episode brings us all about the history of Italian gardens and citrus cultivation with Helena Attlee, an expert on Italian gardens and author of the book The Land Where Lemons Grow. We will talk about Italy's epic obsession with gardens and citrus fruits over the centuries.

In this episode, we learn:

[00:00] What is the deep-rooted connection between Italian culture and gardening?
[07:36] How Helena became passionate about Italian gardening
[11:48] Helena’s garden features and the cultural significance of citrus in Italian agriculture
[13:57] Why is it not advisable to grow citrus in Britain?
[15:00] Get your fall planting and feeding essentials from Espoma Organics!
[16:30] Gift the magic of soothing melodies this season with Wind River Wind Chimes
[18:23] What recurring cultural garden themes did Helena find in all her visits?
[22:05] Revival of Italian gardening
[28:05] What sustains edible gardening in Italian culture, especially in lower and middle-class communities?
[29:59] How volcanic ash from active volcanoes benefits plant growth, particularly in regions like Sicily and Naples
[31:11] What inspired Helena to write her book, The Land Where Lemons Grow?
[34:30] Importance of Italian citrus farming and its link to the mafia's rise
[41:13] Health benefits of blood oranges and lemon juice, especially in preventing scurvy
[44:11] What are Helena’s top favorite gardens to visit in Italy?
[46:41] What would be one way to elevate your gardens in an Italian way?
[47:34] Where can you find Helena on social media?

Mentioned in our conversation:

Book by Helena Attlee The Land Where Lemons Grow
Books by Georgina Masson
Russell Page
Grandi Giardini Italiani

For a deep dive into Italian gardens you can explore up to the present,

check out the full show notes and blog here!

Thank you to our episode sponsor:

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Transcript

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0:00.0	When you think of Italian culture, the first thing you probably think of is food,
0:03.7	tomato-based dishes, pizza, fokacha, limocello, bolognese, or maybe even polenta,
0:09.0	which is from my region of Italy, Fruelli.
0:11.4	But an important part of the long-standing cultural tradition of
0:14.7	preparing these foods is the high quality and local ingredients used in
0:19.1	Italian cooking and in order to get those high quality ingredients, many Italians grow them.
0:24.4	Growing your own food isn't a hobby but a lifestyle in Italy.
0:27.3	My grandparents, Italian immigrants who came over after the war
0:30.8	actually had two plots of land next to each other one for their house and
0:34.4	one for their garden this is in Queens New York I have so many memories as a small
0:39.2	child running through my grandparents garden plot of meticulously strung tomatoes, vegetables that my non-nee tended to,
0:46.1	and the greenhouse that they kept to overwinter their plants.
0:49.0	When I think of my Italian heritage, I think of the lineage of farmers and gardeners I come from and frankly I feel
0:55.2	them living through me as I learn to grow my own tomatoes and produce. But the
0:59.1	Italian connection to growing things runs far deeper than a happy tomato. In the 17th century
1:04.0	Italian gardeners were the innovators of ornamental gardens, highly architectural
1:08.3	in nature and also served as community spaces. I've only just begun to learn how interesting and layered
1:13.8	Italian culture is when it comes to gardening and a big part of my
1:17.3	realization was reading the book The Land Where Lemons Grow by Helena
1:20.6	Atley, which you will hear me wax poetic about in a few minutes.
1:24.1	But for the start of Italian and American Heritage Month, I'm so thrilled to welcome one of my most favorite
1:29.9	authors of one of my most favorite books to the show to explore the rich history of
	...

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