The early joy of an Italian garden

9:38am Friday 21st March 2008

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I'VE never been on a city break' before and, thinking that three days of uninterrupted Roman ruins, basilicas and Bernini fountains might be too much of a good thing, I arranged to visit some gardens that I'd heard a lot about, at a place called Ninfa, 45 miles to the south east of Rome.

As it turned out, Rome was spectacular (even in the rain) but so too were the gardens. In truth, we were a little early in the season but it did my heart good to see cherries and magnolias in bloom some weeks before we can expect to see them here.

The gardens of Ninfa are the creation of three generations of one of Italy's oldest and most noble families. Gelasio Caetani, together with his English mother Ada, began planning a garden among the ruins of the fortified medieval town of Ninfa in the 1920s. Gelasio's brother Roffredo and his American wife Marguerite continued the work and were followed by their daughter Lelia (who was married to Hubert Howard, of Castle Howard, in Yorkshire). Sadly, the Caetani family died out with the death of Lelia, but the gardens are now protected and managed by a trust.

At their centre is the River Ninfa (pictured above), clear and fast flowing. It runs past the ruins of churches, mills, temples and town houses, its banks now planted with Gunnera, arum lilies and aquatic irises.

The small bridges crossing the river are draped with rambling roses and wisteria, while nearby walls provide support for clematis, jasmine and passion flowers.

The ruins shelter numerous flowering trees and shrubs, including maples, crab apples, camellias, and citrus fruits, together with the collection of shrub roses for which the garden is renowned and some of the largest bamboos I have ever seen.

Of course we were too early for the roses, but to make up for it we were invited to fill our pockets with ripe oranges!

Run entirely on organic lines, Ninfa is surrounded by a large nature reserve, part of the Pontine marshes, where no fewer than 152 species of bird have been identified, while the river itself is home to a population of macrostigma trout imported from Africa by the Romans thousands of years ago.

The atmosphere of the place is extraordinary; the guide book uses phrases like romantic, mysterious, inspirational and a haven of peace, and it's not wrong.

But there were moments of humour too; our guide showed us some areas of rough grass where animals had been digging up the turf to get at plant roots. Badgers, we guessed. Porcupines, he said. At least that's one problem we don't have to worry about here in the UK.

Jobs for Easter weekend...

If the weather is favourable, plant out autumn-sown sweet peas.

Sow seeds of herbaceous perennials and alpines in a cold-frame or unheated glasshouse.

Cut the lawn when conditions are dry enough. Set the blades fairly high and aim for a light topping rather than anything too severe.