Italian towns and cities are so different from those here. The older buildings are constructed of exposed stone and bricks, which I find quite appealing because of the sense of history they convey. The thing about all that brick and stone is that it looks cold and uninviting, so it seems that the Italians soften that with touches of green where they can – which means lots of container plants.
A flowerpot overflowing with blooming flowers can add so much colour!
Now add a few more pots of plants for more visual appeal.
Or, you know what? Use bigger containers and you can grow bushy plants clustered together to look like a garden right outside your front door!
And if you use a really big container, you can grow a really big plant!
I noticed that there are lots of nice varieties of big terracotta pots over there. Here, a rose plant shares space with lower flowering plants.
Or, cluster lots of small container plants in artistic patterns to create this masterpiece outside the cathedral in Pienza. It’s a seasonal attraction set up by flower nurseries, we were told.
A closer look at part of the arrangement at Pienza. All of the plants are grown in small green pots that are the same size. I can’t imagine the amount of planning that goes into doing this.
Outdoor cafes and restaurants make good use of container plants to create privacy screens.
And this very creative …hedge? … caught my eye in one of the hill towns.
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