Arbustra is the ancient art of growing vines using a living trellis.
Each vine has its own willow tree, arched to make a trellis.
This is agro-forestry in action!.
The art of Arbustra was practiced by the Romans and the Etruscans before them.
The writer Columella wrote in De Re Rustica,
“The vine is joined in marriage to the tree, and, embracing it with its tendrils, climbs upward; then, when it has reached the top, it spreads itself through the branches and bears fruit as though supported by a living prop.”
The Arbustra at Breakheart Hill was inspired by the amazing viticulturists at Hebron Vineyard, Paul and Jemma.
The willow is more of a companion than a competitor for the vine; the Mycorrhizal relationship between the two plants is symbiotic - each plant supporting the other.
The Hebron and Breakheart Hill Arbustrum are believed to be the only two commercial vineyards in the world using this design of natural trellising.