There\u2019s an over-used, often joked-about expression some Italians use when they want to make polite conversation about the weather, but don\u2019t really have anything particularly original to say. You hear it most when the first frosts come abruptly, late in the year. \u201cAutumn<\/a> doesn\u2019t even exist anymore,\u201d they say.<\/p>

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It might surprise them to see the season is alive and well at the country retreat of garden designer Cristina Mazzucchelli, who is better known for creating small but chic, modern, balcony and roof gardens for her clients in nearby Milan. Ten years ago, she set about restoring a 19th-century stone farmhouse tucked into the rolling hills of Monferrato. The property, which enjoys sweeping views of the surrounding Piedmont<\/a> countryside, had been abandoned for years before she asked architect Carlo Alberto Maria Caire to oversee renovations<\/p>
\u00a9 Richard Bloom – \u00a9 Richard Bloom<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\u201cWe were originally confronted with a bare site of no-nonsense agricultural practicality,\u201d Cristina explains. \u201cOutside, a wide concrete slab stretched the whole length of the house. It was used to park tractors and meant to keep dirt from getting in the farmhouse. Beyond that, there were only mostly dead or dying fruit trees and the rabbit cage. I saved the few trees I could.\u201d <\/p>
In brief<\/strong><\/p>
Name<\/strong> Cascina Monferrato. What<\/strong> Private country garden of designer Cristina Mazzucchelli. Where<\/strong> Piedmont, Italy. Size<\/strong> 3,000 square metres. Soil<\/strong> Hard, heavy clay. Climate<\/strong> Continental, with temperatures up to 40\u00b0C in summer, and below 0\u00b0C in winter. Hardiness zone<\/strong> USDA 9.<\/p><\/div><\/div>
$\"Cascina$ \u00a9 Richard Bloom – \u00a9 Richard Bloom<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Sunsets and even autumn itself seem to last longer at Cascina Monferrato in Piedmont, the country home of garden designer Crisitina Mazzucchelli. Gravel<\/a> and paved paths<\/a> lead from the stone farmhouse through the garden to the swimming pool<\/a>, discreetly tucked away in the lowest, most private corner of the property. Cristina kept many of the trees already on the site, such as the fig in the centre and the Robinia pseudoacacia<\/em> on the right, but has added new trees<\/a>, including the fruitless mulberry trees pruned into parasol<\/a> shapes near the house and the golden-leaved Gleditsia triacanthos<\/em> f. inermis<\/em> \u2018Sunburst\u2019.<\/p>
$\"Cascina$ \u00a9 Richard Bloom – \u00a9 Richard Bloom<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Neatly trimmed cypresses and umberella-pruned mulberries combine with the geometric squares of soft perennial<\/a> planting to give the gravel garden<\/a> in front of the house an air of relaxed formality. A small rabbit house, which has been transformed into a tool shed,<\/a> hides a pergola<\/a>-covered informal dining<\/a> area.<\/p>
$\"Cascina$
\u00a9 Richard Bloom – \u00a9 Richard Bloom<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Cristina has preserved the garden\u2019s agricultural genius loci by leaving whatever fruit trees<\/a> she could save to stand where they have been for decades, and adding some carefully chosen antique items, such as a wooden wheelbarrow<\/a>, a glass demijohn and a zinc washbasin.<\/p>
$\"Cascina$
\u00a9 Richard Bloom – \u00a9 Richard Bloom<\/figcaption><\/figure>
At the back of the old rabbit house, a small pergola creates a secluded eating area with views out over the surrounding fields. From here, steps wind down<\/a> to the swimming pool area flanked by ancient fruit trees and low-growing grasses and shrubs, including Euphorbia characias <\/em>subsp. wulfenii<\/em>.<\/p>
$\"Cascina$ \u00a9 Richard Bloom – \u00a9 Richard Bloom<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Gently sloping steps lead down to the swimming pool area from the hot tub, sheltered by a small pergola covered in Wisteria floribunda<\/em> \u2018Kokuryu\u2019 and Clematis armandi<\/em>. Each step has a low wooden rise made of antique beams and a long terracotta run made of recycled pavements<\/a> from the antique farmhouse and Piedmont stone called pietra di Luserna, which were patiently and creatively paved by Gabriele Giraldo.<\/p>
$\"Cascina$
\u00a9 Richard Bloom – \u00a9 Richard Bloom<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Cotinus coggygria<\/em> \u2018Royal Purple\u2019 shrub surrounded by soft grasses<\/a>, including Stipa tenuissima<\/em> and Cortaderia selloana<\/em> \u2018White Feather\u2019, helps to enclose the swimming pool area. The strength of this garden\u2019s design lies in its restrained palette and conservative choices. Instead of experimenting with new cultivars, Cristina filled her borders with tested and trustworthy stalwarts, such as Pseudodictamnus<\/em> mediterraneus, Echinacea purpurea<\/em> and other perennials that can take the Italian heat and dry conditions.<\/p>
Cristina\u2019s garden is proof that the Italian autumn, fortunately, does still exist, and, at least here in this hilly paradise of Piedmont, can last from September all through November<\/a>; heavenly, golden and long. <\/p>
Here’s more on making your garden look great through autumn<\/a><\/p>
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$\"Albizia$
Albizia julibrissin. Cascina Monferrato, private country garden of designer Cristina Mazzucchelli. \u00a9 Richard Bloom – \u00a9 Richard Bloom<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
$\"Salix$
Salix x sepulcralis \u2018Erythroflexuosa\u2019. Cascina Monferrato, private country garden of designer Cristina Mazzucchelli. \u00a9 Richard Bloom – \u00a9 Richard Bloom<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
$\"Stachys$
Stachys byzantina Lamb\u2019s ears. Cascina Monferrato, private country garden of designer Cristina Mazzucchelli. \u00a9 Richard Bloom – \u00a9 Richard Bloom<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
$\"Pseudocydonia$
Pseudocydonia sinensis. Cascina Monferrato, private country garden of designer Cristina Mazzucchelli. \u00a9 Richard Bloom – \u00a9 Richard Bloom<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
$\"Phyla$
Phyla nodiflora. Cascina Monferrato, private country garden of designer Cristina Mazzucchelli. \u00a9 Richard Bloom – \u00a9 Richard Bloom<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
$\"Stipa$
Stipa tenuissima. Cascina Monferrato, private country garden of designer Cristina Mazzucchelli. \u00a9 Richard Bloom – \u00a9 Richard Bloom<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
$\"Muhlenbergia$
Muhlenbergia capillaris. Cascina Monferrato, private country garden of designer Cristina Mazzucchelli. \u00a9 Richard Bloom – \u00a9 Richard Bloom<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
$\"Euonymus$
Euonymus alatus \u2018Compactus\u2019. Cascina Monferrato, private country garden of designer Cristina Mazzucchelli. \u00a9 Richard Bloom – \u00a9 Richard Bloom<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div>