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OUT & ABOUT

Garden photographerand writer Leigh Clappwas given a tour arounda decorative and highlyproductive potagerinspired by the owners’Italian roots

Adam Vetere took me on stroll around hisimmaculately cared-for potager at his homein Headley, Hampshire where he lives withhis wife Heidi and son Luke. He explained

that his inspiration for the garden came from his summerholidays in Italy.“My father is Italian and we used to spend our summer

holidays on my grandparents’ farm in PiedimonteMatese, near Naples, Italy. My time there watching mygrandmother prepare wonderful dishes with just the vegand meat from the farm inspired me to reproduce the samegrowing conditions.”They were initially attracted to their Hampshire home by

panoramic views of Watership Down from the south-facingslope and the fact that the existing house was on the siteof a Roman camp and bath house; there has been an arrayof changes, on a tight budget, since they moved to OldCamps in 2007.“The house wasn’t easy on the eye, but was a great

footprint to design a contemporary home from, completewith an atrium! The design of the garden evolved from thedesign of the new house, though I did design new cottagebeds in homage to the original house. It was important tokeep a link with the past as well as looking into the future,”Adam comments.

GARDEN REDESIGNEDThe existing garden consisted of a basic knot garden, avegetable garden, a few cottage beds and the majority waslaid to lawn, as well as a hornbeam hedge that separatedthe upper and lower gardens that were partly terraced.Adam, who originally worked as a landscape designer andcontractor before going into financial design, has nowreturned to his passion for designing gardens, with thejourney in his own garden allowing him to experimentand express his interest in a broad range of styles andconcepts. “My design inspiration comes from my travelsto the four corners of the world, visiting gardens and thenatural habitat in varying climates from desert to tropical,assimilating garden design ideas, theories and variations onnew planting schemes that can be used in future designs,”he adds.➤

Former work colleagues Tony (left) and Adam share apassion for gardens, design and exquisite food

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This was Adam’s first large-scale site to work on and oneof the initial tasks was to get to know the micro-climatesin each area of the plot. Working from a plan he initiallydrew up, the garden has evolved into areas that are linkedtogether to form a cohesive whole, but with plenty ofunexpected and exciting ideas and planting to enjoy. “Ilike to design gardens that challenge what is naturallyaccepted in this country. My time in some notable Italiangardens, such as Boboli in Florence and Reggia di Caserta,has pushed some of my design towards a more formalstyle, as symmetry and balance were key to the classicalgardens of Italy and wider Europe. However, I would saymy current style is a mix of modernist, contemporary andnew perennial, which allows me to fuse flowing perennialschemes with strong geometry,” he says.The one-acre garden now has traditional herbaceous

borders, Mediterranean and desert beds, prairie plantingand ornamental grasses, an exuberant exotic border, pottedlemons in a sheltered al fresco dining area, as well as thedecorative potager.The design complements the stronglines of the house as well as vignettes being consideredfrom looking down over the garden from the balcony orwith glimpses to draw you through the landscape as youwander. “For me it’s all about interest leading through thegarden on to something else, a voyage through the garden,”Adam adds.

ORGANIC GROWINGAt the heart of the garden is the potager, abundant withorganically grown crops in a carefully thought-throughdesign.The site needed to be levelled, a large south-facingwall was built to create a warm micro-climate,four rectangular raised beds were added, and a largeglasshouse positioned at the southern end, lyingsymmetrically across the central axis of the rectangulardesign. Over the central axis a path through the bedsis further defined by a contemporary arbour clad inespaliered apples and leads to the focal point of an ornatelion’s head fountain in the wall and a semi-circular patio, alovely place to enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the morningsun. At the edge of the site, fan-trained and furtherespaliered fruit trees are underplanted with fruit bushesand woodland planting to take advantage of the dappledlight they created. “The layout had to be symmetrical andallow the ability to grow fruit, vegetables and flowers in astylish environment. I always look to maximise the growingenvironment, creating sun traps, warm walls and allowingthe cold to drain in winter which allows you to grow alarger range of vegetables and grow them earlier. I wouldestimate that the micro-climate is probably now akin to themiddle of France,” he comments.➤

ABOVE: The contemporaryhouse overlooks thepotager with its abundanceof crops

LEFT: Adam uses Frenchmarigolds to deter whitefly

BELOW: Espaliered apples‘Golden Delicious’, ‘Cox’sOrange Pippin’ and anunknown variety fromAdam’s grandmother’sgarden, are trained on thearch that divides the space

BELOW RIGHT: Adamenjoys growing a widevariety of crops, includingaubergines ‘Rosa Bianca’and ‘Black Beauty’, ‘SanMarzano’ and Italian ‘RedPear’ tomatoes, ‘Gocciad’Oro’ and ‘Marconi’peppers, purple and greenbasil

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The planting is equally considered, often mirroring theformality of the lines with rows and matrixes, which alsohelps with pollination. “I always like to add geometricshapes, again symmetrically, especially in the vegetablebeds, which are then raised to aid drainage and thewarming of the soil in the spring. Plus it also helps withyour back!” Adam smiles. Companion planting is key tothe productivity, along with yearly rotation. Many of thecrops are selected because of Adam’s heritage and love ofcooking Italian dishes, including particular favourites suchas ‘San Marzano’ tomatoes, ‘Violetta Lunga’ and ‘BlackBeauty’ aubergines, ‘Romanesco’ courgettes, ‘Red Marconi’peppers, along with a plethora of herbs, nectarines,peaches, figs and melons. “The Italian cooking that I’mfamiliar with is more peasant style ‘paesano’, simple,extremely tasty and of the highest quality.The key is thequality of the produce and only use what is in season –you need to work with the climate and nature, as thereshould be no carbon mileage with this style of cooking,” heexplains.

Cooking with friend and former work colleague TonyCasillo, a passionate amateur chef and cookery bookauthor, is a particular joy, sharing both an interest andnew ideas. “I’ve known Tony since 1995 when I joinedElliott Turbomachinery. I was promoted to financedirector in 2002 and worked alongside Tony, who wasthe vice-president for Europe, Middle East and Africa(EMEA) until late 2005. In this time we travelled all overthe region (Middle East, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain andinto Europe, both north and south), chatting about food,design and gardens. We would often go to our site in Italytogether and I would always drive back to the airport.“Tony always asked if we could stop at the market and

he would then produce an empty soft bag from his suitcasewhich he would then proceed to fill, so that he couldprepare some wonderful dishes when he got home, laterthat day. We’d always be late for the flight and would endup having to rush through immigration,” Adam recalls.Tony then went on to become CEO and president of

the company until 2011, when he retired, and the pairhave kept in constant communication, sharing ideas andthoughts, and were enjoying a day in the potager when Ivisited, harvesting and cooking the produce immediately fora delicious lunch. Try out the deliciously simple recipes onthe next page to enjoy the Italian flavours of high summer.

Old Camps garden isopen through the YellowBook National GardenScheme on August 3 and 4(10am-5pm)■ www.ngs.org.uk■ Visits by arrangement,June 1 to September 30■ Tel: 07720 449702■ Email: gardens@oldcamps.co.uk■ www.oldcamps.co.uk

ABOVE LEFT: The largercourgette flowers are bestfor stuffing and the closedblooms are good for frying

ABOVE RIGHT: A pottedbay and vintage wateringcans with a mixed summerharvest make an attractivevignette

LEFT: Adam grows avariety of different onions,including flavoursome ‘RedBaron’

FAR LEFT: Freshly picked‘San Marzano’, ‘CrimsonCrush’, Italian ‘Red Pear’,‘Indigo Sun F1’, ‘Ruby F1’and ‘Golden Sweet Cherry’tomatoes

BOTTOM LEFT: A pair ofSeville orange trees onthe patio area, later theywill be overwintered in theglasshouse from Novemberto March

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OUT & ABOUT

STUFFEDTOMATOES■ 8 tomatoes■ 500g ground beef■ 1 cup pecorinoromano, grated■ 1 cup breadcrumbs■ 2 eggs, beaten■ 4 slices unsmokedbacon, chopped■ 2 tablespoonschopped parsley■ 2 tsps basil, chopped■ 2 tbsps oil■ Salt, pepper

ADAM’S TIPS■ It’s important to growfresh organic produce thatinspires you to want to cook;to stop and think about whatyou could do with it – that’sthe key. It has to draw youin and get your creativejuices flowing, which you canthen transfer to the plate.Though, above all else, it hasto be fresh – it must haveripened naturally, in the sun,allowing the flavours to fullydevelop. The taste you createfrom fresh vegetables iscompletely different from aBritish supermarket’s fare.

■ Good suppliers of seeds– for me, Franchi Seeds ofItaly, wwwseedsofitaly.com,are the best and they have awonderful range from whichto choose. Johnsons Seedsalso do a good range, seewebsite for stockists, www.johnsons-seeds.com

■ The longer varieties ofpepper and aubergine aregreat in southern England,such as ‘Red Marconi’ and‘Goccia D’Oro’ peppers and‘Violetta Lunga’ aubergine.You need to grow the plumtomatoes – ‘San Marzano’which make great salads andpassata (pasta sauce).

■ Use a south-facing site,create a warm micro-climateand start vegetables in plugsin a greenhouse. Bring outonce all frost has passed.Work with nature and theseasons – never against it. Ifit is a cool summer, considerusing perspex screensaround your plants (especiallypeppers and aubergines) tocreate a mini micro-climate.

■ You do need a greenhouse tosucceed in the cooler summers,as you can effectively have twocrop cycles.

■ Companion planting withmarigolds and basil limitsairborne attack and thus ourreliance on chemicals.

■ Oregano is picked anddried for use for the restof the season. If we haveadditional basil, then wecreate pesto. ■

TOMATOBRUSCHETTA■ 6 slices crusty bread■ 1 clove garlic■ Olive oil■ Salt, pepper■ Tomato■ Chives■ Basil

METHOD1. Toast the bread under thegrill on both sides2. Rub the clove of garlic oneach piece3. Drizzle with oil, add salt andpepper4. Return to the grill andbrown until golden5. Chop tomato into smallcubes, discarding seeds6. Mix in a bowl with choppedchives, chopped basil, salt,pepper, a little olive oil7. Spoon the mixture on thebruschetta

Tony’s wife Carol, Adam and Tony enjoy the tastes of the season

TONY CASILLO’S RECIPESMETHOD1. Preheat oven to 180C (350F)2. Cut tops off tomatoes andreserve3. Using a small teaspoon, scoopout seeds and core from eachtomato, set upside down todrain4. Combine the filling ingredientsand fill the tomatoes5. Position the tops like hats6. Put tomatoes in an oiledroasting pan7. Bake for about 40 minutes,until filling is cooked through

“The taste youcreate from

fresh vegetablesis completelydifferent from

a Britishsupermarket’s

fare”

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