These lines from the Ballad of the Ancient Mariner, by the poet S.T. Coleridge, seem to perfectly describe the recent climatic situation.
Despite it raining consistently for several weeks, the plants appear fatigued, and the cities are ravaged by flooding events.
It might seem paradoxical, but such a large quantity of rainwater does not seem to make up for the winter (and summer) droughts of the past seasons.
The reason is related to the soil pores, which, emptied of water during the dry season, fill with air, causing a hydrophobic effect that takes a long time to return to normal.
In short, the less humid the soil, the less it absorbs rainwater, with the result that it runs off as if on asphalt, accumulating in rivulets. These not only cause the damage we observe, but also fail to nourish the roots of the plants.
For more than 30 years Ila has been attentive to the issue of sustainability, and the seminatural technique starts from the consideration that water is a very precious resource: choosing a creation with a completely natural appearance, but requiring no maintenance, is now a conscious choice, and at the same time allows for infinite possibilities of expression from a design perspective.
