Citrus as Garden Art

By Haskell Harris | March 3, 2010 | Design

Nine years ago, during a semester abroad, I found myself alone in the open courtyard of the Palazzo Medici Riccardi in Florence, Italy, surrounded by an ornamental grove of potted citrus trees.

I'd been wandering around the place all morning trying to find the elusive garden, and by the time I got there I was grateful to find it void of tourists and clicking cameras.  

It's hard to imagine that a simple plant held so much history in its leaves, but these trees, heavy with fruit, certainly did. 

To the Medici, oranges represented wealth and fertility. If you look closely at Medici commissioned paintings, like Botticelli's La Primavera, look for the citrus trees.  They are present in many of the art forms that the family had a hand in.

The single specimen garden was one of the most beautiful sights I'd ever seen. 

And one day I want my own grove. 

Not only do the citrus trees retain their shiny, evergreen leaves all year, but citrus blossoms produce the most intoxicating scent. A few months ago I got my collection started with two Meyer lemon trees that were covered in blossoms and put them just outside the front door. The fragrance wafted into the house every morning when I left for work and every time I crossed the threshold in the evenings. Heavenly! 

I've also been looking to the ornamental citrus gardens in Charleston for ideas. I've spotted several examples, some potted, some espaliered (which just means that they are trained to grow completely flat against a wall or other structure).

I love how espalier looks, so I thought I'd post a few images of other fruit trees trained in a similar fashion. Turns out that the practice goes back even farther than the Medici, all the way to ancient Egypt. For centuries, people have used it to take advantage of space in small gardens, to create hedges in open areas, and more. 

If you're thinking of adding citrus or fruit trees to your garden, one of the best mail-order sources is the Tasteful Garden in Alabama. And if you'd like to take the whole idea one step further with professionally trained espalier specimens, River Road Farms is your best bet. 

All you'll need after that is a pitcher of sweet tea to put those fresh lemons in...

Image credits: olga-martinez.blogspot.com; sandrobotticelli.net; agrowingtradition.com; frenchgardening.com; orange2.bp.blogspot.com; dovegreyreader.typepad.com; americangardenhistory.com; eastanglia.wordpress.com

Sneak Peek: Kentucky Garden

By Haskell Harris | July 9, 2009 | Design

Another sneak peek of something great coming up in the next issue.

A Kentucky garden by a Kentucky native who now lives in New York and designs for the likes of Salma Hayek, Edward Norton, and Julianne Moore. Can anybody guess what celebrity garden designer I might be talking about? Stay tuned for the full story when it debuts in the August/September issue.

Photos by Caroline Allison

Tree Hugger

By Haskell Harris | May 19, 2009 | Design

Most mornings here in Charleston (even now, with the heavy weather of summer upon us) I walk down to the Battery and meander back to my house via some quiet backstreet or cobblestone alley—with the hope that I might catch a glimpse inside a jewel-box garden.

Yesterday, the entrance to one such garden was left wide open, and as I passed it, I saw the most enchanting scene. A tidy courtyard replete with potted citrus, confederate jasmine, and creeping fig, but more importantly, a lone ancient oak with a charming garden bench wrapped around its base.

Wrapped is the only way I can describe it, because the wood bench itself (in this case painted Charleston Green, which is almost black) literally wrapped all the way around the trunk, so that four people could easily sit and chat at an outdoor party.

This morning, I was on a mission to find a similar design. The teak bench (pictured below) from outdoor outfitter Barlow Tyrie is pretty close. Just picture it, all weathered and gray in an old garden. So pretty!