Fall is here and it’s time to think about bulbs to plant, fall foliage trips, and when to purchase mums and pumpkins for the porch. So, I went back through my Italy photos for inspiration and found these winery photos. I now want to redesign my yard to look like this.
If I could recreate the landscape of anywhere I had the privilege of visiting, it would be the Monterinaldi Winery in Chianti Classico. I can only imagine how it looks now with fall plantings.
Have you ever wished you were a chicken? When I learned that this was formerly a chicken house, I decided then and there that I wouldn’t mind roosting here one bit.
I had never been a fan of vines growing on houses or walls until I saw this.
Can you imagine these pots now – filled with mums?
This plant is thriving in a clay pot. It would be exquisite on my patio. For fall, I’d love a smaller version with mums, grasses and cabbages.
The statue adds a bit of art to the stairway and geraniums are always a lovely touch. I have no stairways, but I have stepping stones and lots of concrete with my front driveway.
I love how one side of this stairway has round clay pots and the other has rectangle. The statues and geraniums create the symmetry without a need to be matchy-matchy.
This parking area is filled with pavers and yet is softened by the plants around the perimeter.
The gravel drive looks perfectly natural in this setting.
The elevated parking area has railing for safety, but window boxes soften the edges.
Even their storage buildings were beautiful, nestled among the cyprus trees.
If you look closely, you’ll see a lazy, white dog enjoying the shade. (Owners words not mine.) But, what a life!
Even a tractor looks pretty on these grounds.
Potted citrus trees dot the landscape. An old well is the centerpiece of this courtyard.
Our first lemon tree was potted in June.
Old brick mixed with wrought iron, ivy and terra cotta is the perfect old world combination.
Where could I incorporate a grape press into my landscape?
And, I’d love a relief such as this for my future outdoor kitchen.
As you leave the winery, the drive is lined with these evergreens that are pronounced “see-prus” trees. Common in many Tuscan paintings, seeing these Arabian transplants in person was breathtaking. I want to create a privacy screen in my backyard now with these beauties.
The reason I loved and currently dream of the landscapes in Tuscany is because of the deep history represented there. To recreate something close to it would be like anchoring my life to our little plot of land. Our roots would become imbedded here and a new story would begin with each planting. I’m beginning to understand why southern women love to dig in the dirt and seniors become master gardeners.
So, what inspires your fall landscape?