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, Wellness, Gardening, Leisure, Eco Therapy, Nature Therapy, Self Care, Health & Fitness, Houseplants, How To, Home & Garden, Mental Health, Plants

4.8 • 912 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 GrowBooks by Georgina MassonRussell PageGrandi Giardini ItalianiFor 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:Espoma OrganicMake sure your plants are all set for the new season! Espoma Organic is dedicated to making safe indoor and outdoor gardening products for people, pets, and the planet. They have an amazing variety of high-quality, organic potting mixes, garden soil, fertilizers, and pest control products that are organic and eco-friendly. To top it all off, they have a huge sustainability commitment with a 100% solar powered plant, zero waste manufacturing and eco-friendly packaging.Visit espoma.com to find your local Espoma dealer or check my Amazon storefront.Wind River ChimesBring more peace, serenity, and magic into your home with chimes. Wind River is a Virginia-based company creating premium handcrafted and hand-tuned wind chimes for over 35 years. If you are looking for a new way to grow joy in your life and find a moment of peace, a Wind River chime is the perfect addition to your home or garden. Plus, it's a perfect personalized gift for your loved ones!Visit windriverchimes.com and use code GROWINGJOY to receive free engraving on all Corinthian Bells wind chimes.Follow Helena:WebsiteInstagramTwitterFollow Maria and Growing Joy:Order my book: Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness (and Plants) by Maria Failla, Illustrated by Samantha LeungJoin the Bloom and Grow Garden Party Community Platform & App AKA the plantiest and kindest corner of the internet! Get your FREE 2-week trial here!Take the Plant Parent Personality Quiz (Get the perfect plants, projects and educational resources for YOUR Lifestyle)Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!Instagram: @growingjoywithmariaTiktok: @growingjoywithmariaSubscribe to the Growing Joy Youtube channel! /growingjoywithmariaWebsite: www.growingjoywithmaria.comPinterest: @growingjoywithmaria

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

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
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Maria Failla- Happy Plant Lady and Author of Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Maria Failla- Happy Plant Lady and Author of Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.