In the countryside south of Florence, this hillside garden extends below the rustic home to a family with small children. They needed privacy from the neighbours and a screen from the communal parking. The steep slope had been terraced in a series of arches, but needed to be unified by an overall design and a planting plan. The wide semicircular lawn is set off by mixed borders and an arc of ornamental cherry trees, framing the view of the woodland in front. The circular theme is repeated in a small lawn in the children’s play area, centred around a tree house, which is screened by mixed borders filled with tactile and scented plants. The terraced slope beside the house has been planted with roses, evergreen shrubs and grasses, leading up to the fence which is covered by climbing roses and shrubs, to hide the parking lot. The rose’s seasonal interest is extended by an English-style mixed border, rich of grasses and perennials, hardy enough for Tuscany.