The Prettiest Shade

Leave it to the Italians to find the most beautiful way to create shade on sunny streets, on top of hills around the corner of little alley ways that just call out for iron tables and people sharing a romantic lunch The idea of training flowering branches to grow overhead to provide both beauty and shade is an idea we can use to bring charm and romance to our own gardens and yards.

I fell in love with both the canvas canopies and floral canopies of Italy. The branch canopy was in the main street in Positano where the welcome shade and scent from the blossoms overhead added to an already perfect afternoon. I love to find ways to bring home the beautiful things I witness while traveling. I bought 12 climbing rose bushes and started to grow them around posts in my garden. Phase two of the project will be to put pergola posts down the middle of the garden and attach wire between them to grow more flowering branches that can take root and bring years of pleasures each Spring and Summer. These blooms overhead will always remind me of Italy and the unforgettable way to create shade.