Oh The Places You'll Grow

When I travel anywhere, I find it interesting to see what types of plants grow there and how people to garden. In large cities, creativity abounds. People seem to crave nature and greenery, even in tight quarters. Due to the limitations of space, residents grow vertically. In Rome, they had vertical gardens before it was trendy! Ivy grows on the sides of buildings, covering them with a living canopy. Small planters set on window sills house herbs for cooking and flowers for beauty. Small planters on the ground grow trees or climbing vines.

All of these images were taken in the neighborhood of Monti, which is an old neighborhood in the city, just west of Termini Station and just north of the Coliseum. In fact, as you walk along certain streets in the neighborhood, you can catch a glimpse of the famous Coliseum. I would argue that these plants, incorporated into the architecture, give this neighborhood it’s special feel and unique authenticity.

This area is referred to as a Mediterranean climate, which has hot and dry summers, mild and wetter winters and not very drastic temperature changes throughout the day. Less than 5% of the earth’s land resides in a Mediterranean climate, but my home in Southern California does, so I especially find joy in seeing plants that I am familiar with when I travel to other Mediterranean climates.

The streets are narrow and the buildings are tall. Plans growing up on these buildings get sun but don’t get scorched or dried out because there is plenty of shade to be had during the day. The plants are able to retain the moisture from the morning dew long enough to sustain them.

Rome Monti hanging garden over the street

Then, of course, there are rouge gardens planted by the birds of the area. I found many plants growing on the sides of ancient Roman Ruins as much as they were in sidewalk cracks. It reminds me that nature carries on long after we do and that to every environment, there is a plant well suited, even without the care of humans. In the picture below, there is a small fig tree growing out of a hole in the wall, below an elevated garden. I wish that I could go back to this spot in a decade (maybe I will) to see if there will be a massive tree growing out of the side of this wall!