Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => Travel / Places to Visit => Topic started by: Paddy Tobin on August 14, 2007, 08:22:09 PM
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La Mortella was a garden I had wished to visit for many years and I had the opportunity to do so this summer.
La Mortella is situated on Isola d’Ischia in the Bay of Naples. The garden was started in 1951 by Sir William and Lady Susana Walton and has been continued since his death by Lady Susana who has exhibited at the Chelsea Flower Show.
Russell Page advised on the design of the garden initially and his influence can be seen in the formal central axis of the main garden. The garden is in three parts: the Valley Garden, the Tropical Houses and the Upper Garden. The garden was made within a disused quarry; the lower part, the Valley Garden is now well furnished with mature trees which are underplanted with an amazing range of plants, the Tropical House is home to Victoria amazonica, a truly amazing plant while the upper areas continue to be developed; already there is the final resting place of Sir William, the open air theatre, the crocodile cascade, Thai Tea House a very odd-looking blue glass ‘pond’ among others.
Temperatures while we were there were 35 celcius and above each day and such temperatures along with low precipitation makes the lush and full growth of La Mortella all the more astonishing. Obviously much watering was done in the garden and we saw several of the gardeners hosing beds.
I will post photographs which show views of the garden at first and later - if I haven't been told to give you a rest by then - I will post some photographs of the many attractive plants in the garden. The first photographs are from the Valley Garden, mainly showing the main axis along a rill running from one pond and waterfall to another.
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At the end of the main axis is a large pool, planted with the most divine lotus flowers, papyrus and other beauties.
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The Tropical Plant House which is home, among others, to the Victoria amazonica. Outside the Tropical House is a very quiet and restful patio area with another pond.
That's all for tonight - more tomorrow.
Paddy
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This is very pleasant, Paddy, especially since it is raining, again, here. I don't want my water lilies to think I am ungrateful, but , with the exotic water lilies Gerd showed us from Westfalen the other day and now these lotus flowers, I am thinking how lovely it would be to have these in the pond here !
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Thank for these pics, especially for those of the Lotus flowers.
Gerd
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Beautiful images Paddy...Beautiful.
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Excellent thread Paddy, I had always wanted to visit too. Can't wait for tomorrows instalment. Thanks
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Great Paddy keep it up (or should I say snowdrop)
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I have a painting of the Bay of Naples, mid to late 19th century, by one S. Petruolo. I don't know anything about it except that it's beautiful. Vesusius is smoking in the background behind the tree. I wonder where La Mortella is, in relation to my picture?
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Lesley, Salvatore Petruolo 1857-1946. If it's an original and not a print I'd get it valued if I was you, there could be quite a few plants worth there! ;D
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Brilliant pictures of a stunning garden, thanks for posting them Paddy.
Sue
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Hi Paddy ,
Thank you for this nice pictures !
Today in the afternoon was a 30 minutet report about this garden - it is really fantastic .
They show also some talkings with Lady Susanna - a impressiv Lady - she is born in Argentina .
If I ever visit this area - this is a must !
Greetings
Hans
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Lesley,
I have looked at a map of the area to get an idea of where the artist sat to paint the picture. Have a look at the map; I reckon he was on the headland out from Naples as he is obviously looking from north to south - the sea is to the right in the picture and he is almost across from Vesuvius (climbed/walked to the top while we were there). From his position and referring to the picture the island of Ischia is off to the right of where the artist is sitting.
Hans,
I would have enjoyed that programme I imagine. I have seen her interviewed previously in connection with the Chelsea Flower Show.
Gerd,
The lotus plants were simply scrumptious. I'll post photographs of plants later.
Many thanks to all for kind comments. You will have gathered by now that the Valley Garden at La Mortella is practically a jungle. The formality of the central axis is all but lost in the lushness of the planting and by the growth of the trees which with 50 growing are now quite big.
I shall continue with general scenes of the garden, moving up from the Valley Garden on a steep climb up the quarry side to areas which were later developed and on to some quite new areas also. Hope you enjoy them.
I have shown only the outside of the Temple of the Sun. The inside might be considered too risque for the forum as the walls were decorated with scenes which some might call artistic and others pornographic. Best not to tempt fate.
Maps for Lesley first - hope these display OK. I took them from Encarta website.
Paddy
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Just a few more I had with that group of photographs above showing the Crocodile Cascade which is to the side of a pond where the perimeter is planted with agapanthus.
Paddy
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Further up in the garden, and the views were spectacular here, there was the open-air theatre, a Thai Tea House and an unusual blue glass pond with two very interesting inhabitants.
And so ends the garden tour. I shall prepare some shots of the plants in the garden, some very unusual for us as there are many tender plants which we couldn't manage in the open air in our gardens at home. Many will be known to us as house plants, many begonias, for example.
Before finishing I must apologies to Lesley, Maggi and other admirers of fine food. There was a nice restaurant in the gardens, more a cafe really, but the location was on the side of the quarry wall overlooking the lower garden and was a lovely place to take a rest and try out the local wines. Nice cakes too.
Paddy
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What a lovely place. I, too, have seen a television programme about La Mortells... I imagine it is the one which Hans has just seen.. I was impressed by Lady Susana, also.. a most gracious lady but also full of fun.Evidence of that in the blue pool'' inhabitants, I think!
It is extraordinary how steep the site is... I am glad I did not have to build or maintain these slopes.
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Onto the flowers:
Paddy
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More flowers
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Continuing:
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Some more: Gerd should find these especially interesting.
Paddy
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Last of the flowers. Hope you enjoyed them and thank you for your patience and perseverence.
Paddy
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Wonderful, Paddy,I could comment on these flowers but I'd want to mention them all and I'd be here for days. Just delightful, a great virtual visit, thank you!
I've been thinking, you know, about all the talk of global warming and carbon footprints and suchlike..... well, I reckon this Forum is doing wonders to save the planet.... one or two folks go off on holiday and then hundreds of us get the pleasure without using any planes etc... ;D ....okay, a little electricity, but that's very small in the scheme of things, isn't it? ::)
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Maggi,
What are you doing on the forum on your birthday night?
Paddy
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Same as any night, Paddy.... enjoying the photos and chatting with chums :)
And making sure none of you are up to mischief, of course! :o
I've had a lovely day and this is a pleasant 'night-cap', so to speak! Cheers! ;)
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Cheers Paddy that was
Fantastic
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My God Paddy, what a marvellous collection - a real marathon of posting and such wonderful scenes, plants, buildings etc. I hope this fabulous place will go on and on, when the inevitable happens, in due course.
David, it IS an original, definitely, brought to NZ by my maternal grandmother in the very early 20th century, returning from one of her occasional trips "home.'' I love it dearly and wouldn't part with it for anything but I perhaps should have it valued for insurance purposes. It would fetch a much higher price in the UK (or perhaps Italy) than here in NZ. Likewise several other paintings (and a grand piano) from the same trip.
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Marvellous posting, Paddy!
Some Aussie gardeners are also using Bromeliads as groundcovers - mainly in the warmer areas like Sydney and Brisbane.
That Pitcher plant on the tree is fantastic!
cheers
fermi
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Paddy,
Thank you once again. Not only for the Lotus pics but too for the Colocasia esculenta ' Black Knight ' which I admired so much in the Westfalenpark and unfortunately forgot the name (no notepad as usual).
Gerd
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Maggi,
You certainly are the ever present on the forum and, of course, it wouldn't be the same without you.
Lesley,
Indeed it was a marathon posting. We spent the whole day in the gardens and I took over 500 photographs so I did pick and choose for you. I had wanted for ages to visit the garden and was not in the least disappointed when I did. It is a large garden but retains the feeling of being an individual's garden rather than that of a park or grand garden - hope you get my meaning. The selection of plants was absolutely fabulous, out of this world and completely different to what I could grow at home so it was a terrific experience. Hope you can place Ischia in relation to your picture from the details I gave you.
Gerd,
This was the first time I had seen lotus in the flesh and thought it was an absolutely beautiful plant. The colocasia are incredible.
Fermi,
There was one tree in the middle of the garden which was clothed in pitcher plants and stag's horn ferns. It was astonishing.
Paddy
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David, it IS an original, definitely, brought to NZ by my maternal grandmother in the very early 20th century, returning from one of her occasional trips "home.'' I love it dearly and wouldn't part with it for anything but I perhaps should have it valued for insurance purposes. It would fetch a much higher price in the UK (or perhaps Italy) than here in NZ. Likewise several other paintings (and a grand piano) from the same trip.
I can understand your not wanting to part with the pictures or the grand piano Lesley, I was thinking about the car and the washing machine! ;D
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Paddy, a cracking set of pictures I thoroughly enjoyed them. Had it not been for a tuna salad lunch to die for and too many bottles of red wine to go with it on my one and only visit to Ishcia, I might have visited the garden myself!
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David,
This was one day when we approached our plans with total determination - we wanted to get there as early as possible and stay as long as possible. However, we did manage to squeeze in a caprese and some bottles as there was a restaurant in the gardens, limited menu but sufficient for the day.
Paddy
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Well David, for now I'm driving an old bomb belonging to Roger (he's palmed it off on to me, and bought himself something rather tastier) and it'll do until I can manage something better. The washing machine has been replaced ACTUALLY WITH A BRAND NEW ONE!!! How sad is my life that I can get all excited by a new washing machine. :( It's purring away in the background as I write this and does a good job.
Cars and washing machines come and go over time, but I'm not likely ever to have another Petruolo painting. I had a look at an Italian art gallery website and a number of paintings they had in stock were listed but I couldn't discover what their prices were. Probably just as well. It's a watercolour, 55cms x 38cms.
The grand, a full-sized concert, is an English piano, Sir Herbert Marshall, Sons and Rose. It has a superb tone and is very precious within the family. Although it now belongs to me, it is housed by my sister in the North Island. She has always lived in houses with large rooms whereas my house is small and can't accomodate it.
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Just catching up
very nice pics Paddy.
If anyone is into lotus flowes there is a nice pond/lake where You can swim with them and they are a bit strange to have around You when swiming I must say.
It is in the Hungarian thermal bath (spa) in Heviz and it is an excelent place for enjoying life.
I must admit that I have for many years thought of the flowers as waterlilies but I have been told that they are lotus flowers.
The pics are from the edge/outside the pond as well as the center changing room.
I was thinking of calling it my little place in Hungary but I was grown up not to try to trick You all.
The last pic of the pink lotus is the more typical one that there is a lot of in the pond but not in my over view.
I am sparing You from seeing me in my swimsuit that I had when I was nine. Did it fit? ::) Let us say that there is a limit in how much they could strech and cover :-[ :P ::) 8)
Please let me know if the first two also are lotus or if they are water lilies.
The pics are not as good as I wanted but considering that I was not that well dressed hase was needed when taking the pics. They are from 2005.
Kind regards
Joakim