This post is also available in: Italian
Lombardia is rich in rivers, streams, gorges and lakes of different sizes. The latter often features exquisite noble abodes on their shores, decorated with wonderful gardens. Itìs also a region extremely rich in nurseries, therefore we’ve put together an exciting selection of them from Como to Lecco and even farther, namely to Valtellina. You’ll have a chance to spend several days plunged into a most evocative landscape full of magnolia, cherry trees and witch-hazels, ivy, hosta and other shade plants, but also cacti, tropical fruit trees, alpine plants and small fruit species.
At the end of this itinerary, you may want to go on exploring, following our directions in
Andar per vivai: dal Lago Maggiore al Lago di Varese (Lombardia/2), reaching or travelling back from Floricoltura Riboni, which is some 27 miles away.
Nurseries
The map shows the nurseries and other locations included in our suggested itinerary. Distances are also mentioned, in order to make it easier and more practical for you to make your choice and save petrol and time.
Baradel Nursery
Baradel Nurseryl, in Lomazzo (CO): Baradel nursery offers more than 2.000 species and varieties of plants, grown both in pots and on the ground, to satisfy all needs. It is specialized in unusual and rare plants from different parts of the world, including collections of fragrant and quite resistant Iris, Hosta, Heuchera, clematis, roses and shade plants, constantly and passionately selected and cultivated by the owner, Roberto Baradel. For over 20 years, Roberto has also been involved in the design and installation of plants, gardening services, park construction, terraces, irrigation systems, medium and large artificial ponds, etc.
Distances to other nurseries: 9,3 miles to Cappellini Giardinieri – 14,3 miles to Floricoltura Lampugnani – 16 miles to Consonni Farm – 18,6 miles to Olga’s Flower Farm – 18 miles to Guido Agnelli – 17,3 miles to Stefano Colombo Farm – 27,3 miles to Res Naturae – 78 miles to La Chicca Farm.
Cappellini Piante
Cappellini Giardinieri/Cappellini Piante, in Carugo (CO): this is a historical nursery, which produces trees, shrubs, creepers, trees in shape; among the collections, Hydrangea, Hamamelis, magnolias, ornamental Prunus, and Mediterranean species.
In addition, garden and floral arrangements for events, weddings, and parties are available.
Distances to other nurseries: 11 miles to Floricoltura Lampugnani – 9,3 miles to Baradel Nursery – 11,8 miles to Consonni Farm– 14 miles to Olga’s Flower Farm – 10,5 miles to Guido Agnelli Nursery – 10 miles to Stefano Colombo Farm – 22,6 miles to Res Naturae Nursery – 73,3 miles to La Chicca Farm.
Floricoltura Lampugnani
Floricoltura Lampugnani, in Orsenigo (CO): a garden nursery specialized in ornamental plants, with a huge range of products. This nursery also features many interesting collections of plants like common ivy (numberless species!), plantain lilies, geraniums, cacti, agaves, and peculiar vegetables. The owner, Walter Lampugnani, is a true enthusiast who’s collected all these intriguing species in the course of the years.
Distances to other nurseries: 4,3 miles to Consonni Farm – 14,3 miles to Baradel Nursery – 11,2 miles to Cappellini Giardinieri – 7 miles to Olga’s Flower Farm – 16,5 miles to Guido Agnelli Nursery – 15,5 miles to Stefano Colombo Farm – 17 miles to Res Naturae – 68,3 miles to La Chicca Farm.
Consonni Farm, in Erba (CO): this establishment was created by Beatrice Consonni, the landscape architect of a nursery family. Her grandfather works in Padua for the famous Sgaravatti nurseries, his sons Carlo – Beatrice’s father – and Paolo founded “Vivai Nord”, a large and renowned nursery on their father’s property in Erba, which, however, does not sell its products to the public. In her nursery, Beatrice produces shrubs and trees, a few herbaceous plants and some conifers, always looking for unusual species and varieties from all over the world, including Australia, New Zealand, China and the United States; she usually cultivates and runs tests and experiments, before launching any new product on the market. Today her catalogue includes more than 600 “goodies”, including collections of native and autochthonous oaks, willows, and flowers for lawns of different types.
Distances to other nurseries: 3,2 miles to Olga’s Flower Farm – 15,2 miles to Guido Agnelli Nursery – 16 miles to Baradel Nursery – 11,8 miles to Cappellini Giardinieri – 4,3 miles to Floricoltura Lampugnani – 14,3 miles to Stefano Colombo Farm – 13 miles to Res Naturae Nursery – 64 miles to La Chicca Farm.
Olga’s Flower Farm
Olga’s Flower Farm, in Eupilio (CO): aperto da poco da Cecilia e Olga Giussani, è specializzato nella coltvazione di fiori da recidere, che si può andare a ritirare (ma non a cogliere) direttamente in azienda. A seconda della stagione, troverete aster, zinnie, margherite, dalie, amaranti e tanto altro ancora. E Cecilia e Olga, che tra l’altro progettano e realizzano giardini, hanno davvero molto buon gusto.
Distances to other nurseries: 15 miles to Guido Agnelli Nursery – 18,6 miles to Baradel Nursery – 14 miles to Cappellini Giardinieri – 7 miles to Floricoltura Lampugnani – 3,2 miles to Consonni Farm – 13,6 miles to Stefano Colombo – 10,2 miles to Res Naturae Nursery – 61,5 miles to La Chicca Farm.
Theobroma cacao – Guido Agnelli Nursery
Guido Agnelli Nursery – Casatenovo (LC): Guido Agnelli nursery is specialized in tropical plants, including fruit trees, such as Theobroma cacao (cocoa) and Inga edulis (guaba), collections of tree ferns and Melastomataceae, including the rare Tibouchina lepidota, a compact shrub or small tree.
Distances to other nurseries: 1,2 miles to Stefano Colombo Farm – 18 miles to Baradel Nursery – 10,5 miles to Cappellini Giardinieri – 16,5 miles to Floricoltura Lampugnani – 15,2 miles to Consonni Farm – 13,6 miles to Olga’s Flower Farm – 17,4 miles to Res Naturae Nursery – 68,3 miles to La Chicca Farm.
Colombo Nursery
Stefano Colombo Farm, in Casatenovo (LC): The nursery was established in 1993, thanks to Stefano Colombo’s undisputed passion for cacti and succulent plants: his family tradition of gardening, landscaping and offering ornamental, seasonal and perennial plants has been going on for years. The production is particularly focused on succulent and caudiciform cacti of the American and African pre-desert area.
Distances to other nurseries: 16,7 miles to Res Naturae Nursery – 17,3 miles to Baradel Nursery – 8 miles to Cappellini Giardinieri – 15,5 miles to Floricoltura Lampugnani – 14,3 miles to Consonni Farm – 13,6 miles to Olga’s Flower Farm – 1,2 miles to Guido Agnelli Nursery – 70 miles to La Chicca Farm.
Italian rubbarb – Vivaio Res Naturae
Vivaio Res Naturae, in Lecco: Maria Cazzaniga and Giovanni Mazzucotelli – young people in love with their life and plants – have opened the small, quaint Res Naturae nursery on the slopes above Lecco. The nursery is specialized in edible wild plants. The very aim of this nursery is to enhance the territory by cultivating neglected areas that nobody seems to care for anymore. The crops, in the ground or in a pot, are well suited to the cool but never too harsh climate of this area set between the lake and the mountains. For instance, there are several nordic plants such as Kale cabbages and Rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum) available in different varieties. There are also some wild plants of northern Italy, which usually grow on the roadside, often forgotten, but blessed with true natural beauty and surprisingly excellent properties.
Distances to other nurseries: 54,7 miles to La Chicca Farm – 27,3 miles to Baradel Nursery – 10,2 miles to Cappellini Giardinieri – 10,5 miles to Floricoltura Lampugnani – 8 miles to Consonni Farm – 10,2 miles to Olga’s Flower Farm – 17,4 miles to Guido Agnelli Nursery – 16,7 miles to Stefano Colombo Farm.
Goji – La Chicca Farm
La Chicca Farm, in Tresisio (SO): established in the province of Sondrio, in the heart of the Alps at about 1.476 ft above sea level, La Chicca farm offers rare fruit plants, rustic orchids, ornamental plants and alpine plants, such as thrifts, edelweiss, and martagon lily. In particular, it was the first in Valtellina to carry out intensive cultivation of Lycium barbarum, better known as Goji Berry, with many healing properties.
Distances to other nurseries: 78,3 miles to Baradel Nursery – 73,3 miles to Cappellini Giardinieri – 68,3 miles to Floricoltura Lampugnani – 64 miles to Consonni Farm– 61,5 miles to Olga’s Flower Farm – 68,3 miles to Guido Agnelli Nursery – 70 miles to Stefano Colombo Farm – 54,7 miles to Vivaio Res Naturae.
From here, you may proceed on another one of our recommended itineraries:
Andar per vivai: Monza e Brianza, alla corte di Teodolinda (Lombardia/4), travelling to Il Peccato Vegetale Nursery (2,5 miles away),
or
Bergamo, Brescia e Mantova (Lombardia/5), visiting Botanika Fiori Spontanei Nursery, 20,5 miles away.
Beautiful gardens along the way:
Villa Erba
There are so many beautiful gardens along the way; since it’s quite difficult to mention them all, here’s our best selection:
On Lake Como
On Lake Lecco
Parco di Villa Cipressi, North of Varenna (LC),
Villa Sommi Picernardi, in Olgiate Molgora (LC).
Other gardens are listed on www.italianbotanicalheritage.com. Feel free to use the filtering tools in the pull-down menus, to locate the ones you’d like to visit according to your areas of interest.
This post is also available in: Italian
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