Ancient Trees in the Giardino Inglese

Maria Carolina of Austria wanted an English garden and got one of the first in Italy, which is why the trees here are strange.

She commissioned it in 1786 at the top of the Reggia's enormous formal park, and the English gardener John Andrew Graefer filled it with species the country had barely seen: a camphor tree from Japan, a cork oak, a Douglas fir from the American northwest, a sweet osmanthus. Seven of them are on the register today. The oldest is a yew by the Bath of Venus that was carried in fully grown, which makes it older than the garden it stands in.

All 7 stand in Caserta, which maps 7 remarkable trees in total.

The Yew of the Bath of Venus the register says 150 years, its own note implies 250 or more

European Yew (Taxus baccata). This yew was already a grown tree when it was carried into the garden, which makes it older than the garden.

The Cedar of the Palco over 150 years

Cedar of Lebanon (Cedrus libani). Seven and three quarter metres around the trunk, and sixteen metres tall.

The Plane That Grew Sideways over 150 years

London Plane (Platanus x acerifolia). This tree is too small to qualify and the register listed it anyway.

The Cork Oak of the Palco over 150 years

Cork Oak (Quercus suber). This is the one tree on the walk you can put a hand on and be surprised.

The Camphor Tree of the Palco about 200 years

Camphor Tree (Cinnamomum camphora). Thirty-eight metres is a strange height for a camphor tree.

The Douglas Fir of the English Garden the register says about 200 years, which is the outer edge of possible

Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii). At forty metres, only one other tree in Caserta's register stands as tall, and this one's stated age does not quite work.

The Sweet Osmanthus of the Winding Path about 150 years

Sweet Osmanthus (Osmanthus fragrans). The national register credits this tree with six and a half metres of trunk.

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