Late GBBD February 2012

Sorry yet again for being late with my Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day but we have been up to our necks in snow. We took refuge in Rome, only for it to snow there too ... first time in more than 50 years. We couldn't return for more than two weeks because not only was there a couple of feet of snow across the district but it had formed really deep drifts in the smaller roads and our house was unreachable. Anyway we got back today as the thaw is starting.

We were very worried that the freezing temperatures might kill the olive trees, as happened in 1985, with minus 11 degrees C on some nights and not rising above freezing for several days in a row. I managed to wrap up the trunk of the ancient olive tree that we had moved to the end of the pond - it is vulnerable being in a different aspect from the one it had for the first 300 or so years of its life. So it now has a blue trunk with fleece wrapping around a thick layer of sacking. I can't do that for all 200 olives in the grove. But it seems that the snow has acted like a blanket and insulated a lot of the plants - but we will only really know once it has all melted. The main damage has been the weight of snow breaking the branches of olive trees and umbrella pines.

The countryside does look very pretty with the snow and Lake Trasimeno is frozen over, which is also almost unknown. So I cannot expect there to be much in the way of colour inthe garden but peeping out of the snow is a stalwart cauliflower.

Stay warm everyone, spring cannot be far away.

Y

Winter drought - GBBD January 2012

The weather has been dry dry dry - only the tiniest amount of rain for about 4 months now. At night temperatures drop down to minus 5 but the days are mostly bright sunshine, approaching 10 degrees. The pond is frozen over each morning but thaws a little during the day. So several plants that normally bloom in January are still only in bud: lonicera fragrantissima, iris ungulicularis, jasmine nudiflorum ... But Viburnum tinus is out and some roses are still flowering - Gruss an Teplitz and a rose that I bought as Iceberg (but clearly isn't) are among the best. Rosemary is blooming well as are some lavenders. Let's hope for rain or even snow before the spring arrives.

Thanks to Carol at May Dreams Gardens for hosting the Bloom Day.

Y

GBBD December 2011

Late again with my Bloom Day post - I do hope that Carol at May Dreams Garden will forgive me. My excuse is that yesterday was the last possible gardening day of the year. Today storms and high winds are decending on us and next week is forecast that the temperature will drop by 10 degrees. So frantic last minute planting and preparing the garden for the sudden change.

Autumn flowering Elaeganus angustifolia has small white blooms with an intense perfumr. The roses are still blooming - Old Blush China, Awakening and William Allen Richardson make a particular show (but are rather difficult to photograph). Other plants are also holding onto their flowers for a surprising late show. Berries and fruit - lemons and pomegranate - are also brightening the garden and the pride of my veg plot is Cauliflower.

Happy winter festivities to all,

Y

Rain at last

Winter has not brought the rain we normally expect - and rely on - to regenerate the garden. Yesterday was the first rain in 2 months, and only really a shower. But autumn has been prolonged and we see golden leaves still on the trees when normally they would be dashed to the ground.

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GBFD Autumn foliage

Foliage is centre stage right now: for a short time we have brilliant coloured autumn leaves on shrubs, trees and herbaceous plants. The Poncirus has bright yellow leaves amongst it long spines; even the Viburnum opulus has red colouration.






The garden is now a patchwork of silver, grey and green.

The vineyard is also all ablaze: San Giovese that forms the base of Chianti and many other local red wines has yellow leaves now but Sagrantino, a strong rich red grape grown only in central Umbria has turned a rich strong red leaf. 


But my great pride and joy is the terrific cabbage I have just grown - a first time for me - and I would like to show it off. But will Christina, host of our Garden Bloggers Foliage Day, allow it as foliage or is it a flower?

Happy autumn leaves to you all,
Y

GBBD November 2011 - better late than never

I have been travelling again and so rather late for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day but I hope that Carol at May Dreams Garden will forgive me - there is still a surprising amount blooming here and I would like to share it.
Summer seems to have continued right into November although the last two nights have been touching zero and days are now about 5C coole than before.
Stars of the show in the garden now are Salvias - brilliant reds, pinks and purples. Also Epilobium Canum ' Western Hills' with its warming orange-red flowers. Gaura is still blooming and the rosemary has come back for tis autumn flowering. Welcome with densely packed white flowers is winter savory. Little cyclamen have returned in the shaded areas beneath trees. Even some roses are blooming, especially the Old China.  Of course we have brilliant berries on the cotoneaster and the ornamental grasses are a delight with their feathery plumes. Leaves on the trees are golden shades but the show is less intense and shorter lived here than in cooler regions. The vineyard is all aglow and we are harvesting our olives.
Happy autumn
Y

Garden Bloggers Foliage Day October 2011

After a protracted period of international travel, influenza (caught on my last trip) and general extremes of weather (unusually hot, cold and wet in random order) I realise that the garden has been totally neglected. So at long last the gardeners arrived to finish the gravel garden infront of the house. This really is the least I can do to show the poor garden that I have not forgotten it.

Four truck loads of special 'pink' gravel arrived, sourced from a secret location (it is really REALLY difficult to find nice gravel nowadays), rounded pebbles not angular chippings. It was put not only on the walkways but also carefully around all the small plants to make it look like they are growing naturally through the stones.

 This is all about foliage - thanks to Christina for hosting our GBFD at link - and the gravel garden is just that. Yes there are flowers - salvia microphylla and gaura are in bloom right now - but the pebbles really show off the patterns of leaves and forms of the plants to good effect. It also provided protection from drought and cold.



I just hope that the pebbles are deep enough because otherwise I am about to face a purgatory of weeding. Even the taller plants enjoy the gravel - the rounded lobes of Coronilla glauca show to good effect with the 'sugared almonds' forms of gravel behind.
Happy autumn gardening,
Y

Foliage Day - September 2011

Inspired by Christina at 'Creating My Garden of the Hesperides' I am taking a closer look at foliage in my garden - which is as decorative as flowers and much more important for structure and year-round interest. Here in central Italy we rely on slivery leaved plants to withstand the months of drought. Variagated leaves are also successful in hot climates.
More every 22nd of the month on this topic.
Y

GBBD June 2011

Lots of growth at the moment due to warmth and rain so my garden has an impressive crop of weeds. Despite that I think I have managed to find a few unrestricted views of flowers to show you on today's Bloom Day, brought to us as ever by Carol at May Dreams Garden.

Lots of blue and yellow on show as the Perovkia is getting going together with clouds of Santolina pompoms of various hues and Nepeta, Achillea, Heremocallis, Salvias, Gaura, Hyperium, Scabious, Rue and Hyssop. Many of the roses have finished but the ones that are still going, including Susan Daniel, are very welcome. The Pomegrates are in full bloom too with Honeysuckle and Tracleospermum Jasminoides providing a heady scent. Lavender is just starting to come out.

Y

Filippi redux

On the way back from England by car, taking a detour via Montpellier gave me a chance to check up on Olivier Filippi's garden & plant nursery to see what was in flower in June. My previous visit in October found a riot of colour so my hopes were high. Of course the Cistus and Phlomis would all be over so what to see? The answer is that it looked just like on the cover of his book. Lots of deep blue Lavender and Calamint set against yelows of Santolina, Achillea and Helichrysum. The stars though were the low growing Teucrium with intense red-mauve flowers. Red highlights were also provided by Euphorbia Rigida. A big surprise was the bright yellow Cistus x tardiflorens which, as the name suggests, flowers later than the other Cistus. I feel my autumn plant order coming on already ...

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