Boxwood of the Boboli Gardens

AKS: Yesterday, we visited the Boboli Gardens in Florence, Italy. The Boboli Gardens are a part of the historical Pitti Palace that was built for the banker Luca Pitti but then was bought and developed to the modern size and scale by the infamous Medici family. Today, the garden is a public garden open to all native Florentine people and tourists who pay a small entrance fee. Italian gardens are typically symmetrical and neatly kept. A plant that is commonly used in all gardens, but especially Italian gardens, is boxwood. Boxwood's scientific name is Buxus sempervirens and is one of 70 species of Buxus. Boxwood is commonly found in gardens because it's small leaves are good for pruning and creating hedges. Sometimes boxwood is used create a small "wall" of green in the garden, as well as, the outline of a design for a section of the garden. Other plants, like the wax begonias seen in the picture above can fill those gaps in the design. The boxwood hedges gave structure to a garden that stretches over approximately 111 acres and allowed the garden not to be overwhelming. I loved seeing the design and structure of the Boboli garden and am glad I learned the name of that commonly seen plant! The Boboli Gardens had breath-taking hills and even more breath-taking views… I cannot wait to go back!