Villa Gravi

Barbati

Gardens are always a work-in-progress and ours is certainly no exception. It surrounds our house in Barbati, which we built in 2008/9/10 on a south facing slope some 60m above sea level and 150m to the shore.

This brings serious challenges, particularly in summer. Many of the plants were selected to be drought resistant, amongst them hibiscus, bougainvillea, plumbago, succulents and many others.

There are 13 olive trees on our land and the garden has been laid out to sit sympathetically in this setting. Additionally, we wanted to grow as many vegetables as possible organically, so two separate flat areas are dedicated for this purpose. 

We use three bins for composting in order to provide rotation over three years - collection, rotting down and use.

These are in addition to a large terrace which contains many container plants.

We have grown many of the plants in the garden from cuttings. You will see a nursery area with some 100 new plants; from fresh cuttings to 5 year-old potted shrubs.

The garden rises some 30m so lots of steps are involved. Please take care when walking round.