It’s time for spring-cleaning, and at Vignamaggio we begin in the gardens. We perform three simple but essential tasks to make sure our gardens are lush and healthy. Weeding Weeding by hand, rather than using a chemical weed killer, is better for a few different reasons. It keeps us fit, it doesn’t pollute the soil, […]
gardening
IN THE SHADE OF PETASITES
Today we went out with Francesca, manager of the Vignamaggio gardens, to explore the coolest part of the estate, in search of the petasites or butterbur, a perennial plant of the Asteracaea family. It is easy to come across these enormous herbaceous plants alongside Greve’s tributaries. They can be spotted by their huge hat-like leaves […]
TRIBUTE TO IRIS
The name of this plant comes from the goddess Iris, who, according to Greek mythology, carried messages for the gods. Her golden wings were said to sparkle with dew which, lit up by the sun’s rays, glistened with all the colours of the rainbow. She was, moreover, the favourite of Juno, Queen of the Gods, […]
COMPOST: WHAT IS IT AND WHAT IS IT USED FOR?
WHAT IS COMPOST USED FOR? Compost is a natural fertilizer and is necessary for enriching the ground, making it more fertile and productive. Differently from chemical fertilizers, compost is environmentally friendly. It is also an ecological and wise method of dealing with organic waste that would otherwise end up burned or in dumps. Adding compost […]
THE GARDEN IN MAY
With the long Winter finally over, it’s time for vegetable planting in Vignamaggio’s organic vegetable garden, the Pomario, flanking the villa’s renaissance garden. Vignamaggio’s vegetable garden supplies the restaurant with vegetables and herbs, and perhaps most importantly, the tomatoes we find in so many summer dishes. In fact, the Pomario can boast 5 varieties of tomato: […]
