The Garden

Our Bed & Breakfast and Holiday House are surrounded by a 2000 square meter garden. The garden was previously a plant nursery, which from the 1930s’ was managed by the horticulturist family Colombo Piloni, pioneers of floriculture in the area of Verbania. From the advertisement of the time, it was evident that the nursery business was specialised in the cultivation of Conifers species, Rhododendron, Camellias, and Azaleas.

Among the cultivated Azaleas’ varieties, ‘La Perla del Verbano’ and ‘La Stella del Verbano’, late blooming species, became famous all over Italy.

When we bought the garden in the year 1984, the nursery business had just terminated its decennial activity. Accordingly, when we opened the gate of the just bought property we found a ‘jungle’ of flowers and species of every kind growing everywhere in sight. Every season brought a new discovery to the eye, a new blossom, a new plant. Under rare species of thick-growing Conifers such as the Pseudolarix amabilis, the Cunnighamia lanceaolate,

 

The Cryptomeria japonica variety filfera and globose, Cedres of the Himalaya and silver firs, there was an undergrowth of numerous species of camellias, rhododendron, azaleas indica, japonica and mollis, Pieris, Kalmia, and Japanese maples and varieties of Magnolias such as Kobus e Macrophylla. Every season there were different flowers and berries embellishing the garden of beautiful colours, even in winter, the Idesia polycarpa, rare botanical species, colours the garden with its red berries under the snow while the air is scented with the fragrance of the blooming Chimonanthus praecox.

 

We have always tried to preserve the botanical diversity of the garden while adopting a ‘natural’ style in order to let nature find its own place. Our son Francesco, born with an innate passion for plants is the main gardener of our ‘jungle’, who in his university breaks from his master program in Tropical Forestry attends meticulously to the garden also introducing new species of tropical origins.

Part of the garden has over time transformed itself in a Mediterranean style garden, while on a wall made of river pebbles a Wall garden was created, all over the garden can be found more than 40 varieties of Camellias japonica and sasangua, 20 species of roses of different colours and fragrances. Who has a passion for plants, gardens or botany is welcome to exchange plants’ varieties or buy some from Francesco’s potted collection.