Il Bosco di Camelie

Garden Overview

The “Bosco delle Camelie” is in Piegaio Alto, in small village in Pescaglia, a valley near Lucca, Tuscany, in the Apuane mountains, 400 meters above sea level, with dense forests of chestnuts. The garden was created by Vito and Gemma Menchini, After the premature death of Vito, Gemma with her son Daniele and her daughter Alice Rossi are continuing the garden collection. In the past “Il Bosco di Camelie” was a vinyard and olive grow where still today you can find some olive specimen. It all began in April of 1983, Vito and Gemma along with the family attended a festival in honor of St. Zita, the town patron saint, it was in the occasion they bought their very first Camellia: Fred Sanders. In that Moment the passion for this wonderful plant was born.

Currently the garden hosts 1200 Camellias in an area of around 25.000 square meters. The garden also grows 200 Magnolia cultivars, azalea, rhododendrons and hydrangeas. The garden is divided into 14 flowerbeds, with paths and trails, conceived for a year-round enjoyment, it is ever-blooming, with sasanquas in winter, japonicas, Reticulate and Hybrid in early spring, then azaleas, rhododendron hybrids and Hydrangeas (macropylla, petiolatris, involucrata, etc.) in June-August. The most spectacular blooming is an edge of more 200 Magnolia cultivars (porpurea, stellata, soulangeana, michelia) which are a unique collection in Italy, typically flowering in March.

Our Camellias

The Camellia Collection includes 1200 plants: Over 950 C. Japonica (including C. Rusticana and Higo) - Over 50 C. Hybrid (changii hybrid, williamsii, cuspidata) - Over 78 C. Reticulata (varieties and hybrids) that bloom in spring; -65 C. Sasanqua (sasanqua, hiemalis, vernalis) that bloom in winter and over 30 botanical species. It is organized in themes, botanical species, reticulatas from Yunnan and cultivars of Japanese origin.

Contact Details

Il Bosco di Camelie
Via per Piegaio Alto, 48 Pescaglia Lucca 55064 Italy
Tel: +39-3297028026; +39-3288058541
Email: ilboscodicameliedivitoegemma@gmail.com
Website: https://ilboscodellecamelie.it