Rare Botanical Gems on the Italian Lakes

Rare Botanical Gems on Lake Como

Giardini Botanici Villa Taranto  is one of the world's most important botanical gardens. It is the creation of Neil McEacharn, a Scottish captain who bought the villa in 1931 with the intention of creating a garden on the shores of his beloved Lake Maggiore that reminded him of his homeland.

 

villa Taranto Lake Como Italy Garden

 

McEacharn imported thousands of plants for his new garden, sourced from all corners of the world. Today, the garden of Villa Taranto is home to nearly 1,000 non-indigenous plants and almost 20,000 genera and varieties of particular botanical importance. Here are some highlights:

Davidia involucrate is a medium-sized deciduous tree in the Nyssaceae family. In late spring/early summer, the tree produces large, white flower bracts that resemble fluttering handkerchiefs or doves in the wind – hence it’s common names ‘handkerchief’ or ‘dove’ tree. The tree in these gardens was planted in 1938 by Prince don Jaime and, with its elegant, spreading branches and masses of beautiful, pointed  bracts, it is a truly special sight.

 

handkerchief tree davidia involucrate

 

Dicksonia antarctica is a species of evergreen tree fern native to  the damp forests of Australia. (It is named for James J Dickson, an 18th century Scottish plant collector and nurseryman. ‘Antarctica’ means southern rather than from Antarctica.) Some of the oldest plants in the world, their long, filigree-like fronds  grow from ‘trunks’  formed from thick masses of roots. There are more than 30 specimens in this garden, giving it a distinctly tropical feel.

 

tree fern villa Taranto lake como

 

Emmenopterys henryi is  a very rare and beautiful tree belonging to the Rubiaceae family (which also contains coffee and the gardenia). Native to parts of China, it was successfully imported into Europe 1907. The specimen in these gardens was planted in 1947, but it didn’t flower until July 1971. The large, white, fragrant, pyramid-shaped flowers had never been seen in Europe before, so the spectacle was worth the wait! It has flowered regularly in summer here ever since.

Metasequoia glyptostroboides – or ‘dawn redwood’ – is a deciduous conifer belonging to the Taxoadiaceae family. The two specimens in this garden were given to Capt. Mc Eacharn by Prince Borromeo in 1949 and in 1950 –  exceptional gifts as the tree was considered extinct until 1941 and known only from the fossil remains.

Come and see these botanical treasures for yourself as part of our Enchanting 5-day holiday to The Beautiful Gardens of Lake Maggiore & Lake Como.