Giardino in Umbria

Winter drought - GBBD January 2012

2012-01-15T11:57:00.006+01:00

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.

GBBD December 2011

2011-12-16T08:51:00.014+01:00

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,

Rain at last

2011-12-07T08:56:00.003+01:00

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.

GBFD Autumn foliage

2011-11-21T17:35:00.001+01:00

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

2011-11-17T12:00:00.001+01:00

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

2011-10-23T09:49:00.004+02:00

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

2011-09-23T10:38:00.003+02:00

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

2011-06-15T12:02:00.006+02:00

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.

Filippi redux

2011-06-11T15:54:00.009+02:00

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 ...

Blog paused now back in business

2011-06-02T15:53:00.006+02:00

Something went wrong with my blog connection and I have not been able to post for quite some time - but I have finally sorted it out but unfortunately have missed the garden at its best.

More soon.

Roses already

2011-05-05T09:16:00.012+02:00

Roses are blooming already. I expect to see the Banksiae very early - this year I have Purezza in flower for the first time as well as the udsual Lutea - but also the Chinas are covered in blooms: Mutabilis, Cramoisie Superieure, Old Blush, Pompon de Paris, Louis IV, Sanguinea. With any luck they will tough out the drought and keep blooimg through to autumn.

Nasty business

2011-04-26T07:46:00.004+02:00

Spring has com to the olive grove with the new intensely green grass and wild flowers forming a luxurious carpet. Horrifying then to see that in the neighbouring grove the landowner has sprayed herbicide around every tree - presumably to save the effort of mowing. Local people have got together a petition to the Comune against the evil practice. But then I saw a truck rumble past with a Provincia di Perugia badge and a huge tank, happily spraying all the roadside verges. Our road is now a parallel stripe of brown dead vegetation. What hope is there?

Bulbs - gone in a flash

2011-04-19T14:12:00.014+02:00

I planted around 1,500 bulbs last autumn and the rolling display of colour that I had hoped for lasted days rather than the promised weeks due to the heatwave. In fact i did not manage to catch some of the tulips on camera. Oh well, being species types I hope to see them again next spring but a bit more leisurely, I hope.

GBBD April 2011

2011-04-15T15:43:00.012+02:00

A sudden change in the weather from darkest winter to scorching sunshine (nearing 30deg) then back to wind and rain. So all my bulbs apart from a few Tulipa clusiana 'Lady Jane' and the faithful blue Muscari have been burned then blown to pieces. But humble plants like Euphorbia characias and Ulex (Gorse) not to mention Medicago and Coronilla glauca are making a splash with their gaudy yellow flowers. Our local version of cherry blossom - the bright pink flowered Cercis is also bringing a splash of light into our spring days. Not pictured are flowering Hawthorn (May Blossom), Spirea Bridal Wreath, Choisya and Viburum Opulis just to name a few.

Happy springtime and thanks to Carol at May dreams Garden for hosting this Bloom Day.

PS First blooms have arrived on the Rosa Banksiae Lutea, Old Blush Chine and Pompon de Paris climbing roses

Tree trauma

2011-03-29T08:51:00.011+02:00

I hate cutting down trees, especially big mature ones. But last year it became apparent that one of the pair of massive umbrella pines by the front door was leaning dangerously and threatening to fall onto the house and the other had started to lift the foundations with its roots. It took more than 6 months to get a permit to chop then down - a full Environmental Impact Assessment had to be drafted by a Chartered Surveyor and submitted to the local Comune, Provincial Government and Communita Montana (forestry commission) and maybe some others who I can't recall. It then took a further 6 months to get someone to come and do the deed. Finally last week a machine with a raised platform arrived and they set about with chain saws chopping off branches that lean right onto the main high tension power cable. Miraculously nobody got hurt and the trees are now a heap of about 5 tons of logs and masses of branches. But now there is an uninterrupted view across to Lake Trasimeno and to Tuoro where Hannibal defeated Flaminius in 217BC. Very nice.

Meanwhile, the great olive tree that was moved from the other side of the hill to the end of the pond has been causing great anxiety. Although it had already survived two summers and one winter in its new location, in December there was an unprecedented hard frost with temperatures down to minus 8 deg or lower. The poor tree shed a lot of leaves and looked most unhappy - I was stuck in snow-bound London at the time and could do nothing to help. On my return I decided to try a technique I had seen in South Korea at the onset of winter: they wrap thick layers of sacking and coir around the trunks of precious trees to keep the lymph flowing. I could only find blue-coloured fleece fabric, so my olive tree has spent most of the winter wearing a snazzy blue waistcoat covered with plastic to keep it dry. Yesterday I went to check and found the first green shoots appearing on the nodes of the main branches - still alive but maybe it will lose some smaller branches. Phew!

Emerging from hibernation

2011-03-29T08:47:00.003+02:00

Sorry for my long silence but it has been a long winter. Also my overseas travel seems to have been mostly to places devoid of vegetation - Dubai for one - with little to inspire the gardener. But waking up again now and back blogging.

GBBD December 2010

2010-12-12T18:08:00.009+01:00

A little early this time for our regular 15th of the month appointment with Carol at May Dreams Gardens for Bloom Day.

The Algerian Iris Unguicolaris is also rather early this year - I wasn't expecting it until January at least. Always difficult to photographer as it hides in a thick clump of leaves but the pretty blue is unmissable. The Nerine are right on queue, however, with their most welcome pink flowers at this difficult time of year. Otherwise there are still a few roses in bloom but I don't think they will survive the frosts which at now getting a grip. So the veg patch is brought into centre stage. The Romano Cauliflower is an amazing sight - especially as I had thought I had planted the normal white one ... And the Treviso radicchio is a rich colour statement, not to mention the Scarola endive and dark Cavolo Nero cabbage. All patterns in leaves which I hope will withstand the chill.

Olive Grove as Garden - and the Great Ploughing Debate

2010-11-26T10:00:00.016+01:00

When we were first looking for a house to buy in Italy I made it one of my (many) criteria that there should be olives growing there. For me this is the sign that winter can never be too cold or too long and that summer will be really warm. Having found the house with its olive grove of 200 (or there abouts - I have never managed to count exactly) trees on a steep slope the question was then whether the garden should include the olive grove and how to make transtion between them a pleasing one. Gradually I am starting to make inroads to the olive grove with shrubs and pathways so I have great hopes for the 'nature barely tamed' look that I rather like, but the management of the grove itself is (surprisingly) rather more controversial.

Traditionally, in Umbria the olives are planted a wide distance apart (due to low rainfall etc) and the spaces between are planted with arable crops, often grain. Vines were also strung between the trees. This mixed planting has a number of advantages for small farms not least of which being that it looks very attractive with the patchwork or colours and textures. Modern olive growers nowadays go for much closer spacing of the trees and a mono culture. This raises the question of what to do about the bare earth between the trees: if left uncared for there will grow up grass and weed that present a serious fire hazard and there is also the belief locally that the grass will prevent rainwater and nutirents from reaching the tree roots. So everyone ploughs the olive groves in early summer. The result? Poor dusty soil which gets washed down the hillside witht he first rains. This never happened in the old days because the interplanted crops would have stabilised the ground. If you don't plough then the local Comune comes round and does it for you and hands you the bill. There is of course a much better way: mow the grass. It looks a lot nicer; stops the soil being washed away and keeps down the fire risk. It also allows a carpet of wild flowers to bloom in spring and early summer. This approach is strongly promoted by olive expert Brian Chatterton based on his experience as a dry land agronomist (to see his excellent book on olive growing go here http://www.cottage-umbria.com/GrowingOlives.html ).

Well, when we put this to our local Cooperative, which provides the heavy duty machinery for farm work around here, their reaction was totally negative and they flatly refused to do it. 'You won't get so much as one olive from those trees if you don't plough - it's well known'. So we have had to hire in private contractors to mow the olive grove for the past two summers - the hill is too steep for our own little tractor. Last year the main olive crop failed due to a scorching May which burnt all the flowers, but the early flowering olive 'Dolce Agogia' survived and fruited extremely well - over 100 litres of oil from just a few trees. This year we had trouble harvesting on account of the never ending rain and we have had to mill the fruit in two batches. But it looks like we will have got at least 200 litres this year and the fruit is of an excellent quality, free from pests and diseases. So for us the mowing is here to stay and the olive grove is destined to become ever more a part of the garden.

GBBG November 2010

2010-11-15T10:35:00.015+01:00

We are now mid November and despite a gloomy wet start to the month we have been enjoying a few days of warm sunny weather. Today is foggy and damp so I have to confess that I took most of the photos yesterday, but these are all blooming in the garden right now. The big bonus is that the Chinese roses are (nearly) all in bloom: the ubitquitous Mutabilis of course, but also Sanguinea, Gruss an Teplitz, Felemberg. I have threatened the roses that should be covering the pergola - Awakening - supposed to be the same as New Dawn but with more complex flowers - with eviction, so they seem to have bucked their ideas up and are flowering like mad. A stay of execution but I want them to grow taller. The salvias in the new gravel garden have been magnificent as has Epilobium Western Hills - although the salvias are taller and the Epilobium shorter than I had expected hence perhaps planted in the wrong places. Autumn colours in abundance with the cornus and Kaki fruits, even the reeds in the pond are golden.

Villa Lante - last outing of autumn

2010-10-26T16:19:00.007+02:00

An outing with the Giardino Romano garden club to the Villa Lante near Viterbo - quite daring considering how late inthe season it is but the weather was kind to us. The visit was arranged specially in order to be guided by Dottoressa Bonaccio who has just written the definative work on the Villa, from a study of Cardinal Gambera's correspondence on the spiritual importance and symbolism of the design of the house and gardens. A unique work and a fascinating day.

Bulb planting marathon

2010-10-25T16:43:00.008+02:00

I have had 1,000 bulbs delivered from Peter Nyssen in Manchester. Well actually 985 bulbs but 1,000 sounds like a lot more. Some are fairly small: lots of species Crocus. The Muscari (Grape Hyacinth) 'Blue Spike' are much bigger than normal so I expect great things from them. I have planted up a very large terracotta bowl with Crocus, Brodilea, Sternbergia and Scilla Peruviana (not originating in Peru but first brought to Bristol on a ship named Peru ...). Flowering at the moment are yellow Sterbergia and purple, fragrant autumn crocus Pulchellus. But my best 'bulbs' this autumn are my first ever onions inthe veg plot, red 'Tropea' and traditional golden, set out on a wooden slatted box to dry.

Spring in South Africa

2010-10-16T17:45:00.009+02:00

My business trip to Johannesburg took me from autumn to spring; flowering coming into bloom, some of which I can fin din my own garden (thanks to the Victorian plant hunters) but others less familiar. There was one little plant that I think would be very useful in my garden: it was a low carpeting slivery green with a leaf that ressembled Artemesia but had mauve flowers. Anybody know what it is?

GBBD October 2010 - Michaelmas daisies to the rescue

2010-10-15T10:25:00.007+02:00

The autumn is upon us and the skies are cloudy and mist hangs in the valley. So three cheers for the Michaelmas Daisies which are lending a splash of colour before the year ends. These old fashioned flowers are not very popular, especially the tall varieties, but I find them invaluable. Other plants are having a last shot including the Tea rose William Allen Richardson, new to me this year as well as several of the China roses including Fellemburg and Gruss am Teplitz, not to mention Jude the Obscure, the only David Austin rose that thrives here. The white Solanum and the modest Eryngium are also doing their best. I have also posted photos of the cabbage and Cavolo Nero in the veg plot as for me these are my proudest blooms of the moment. The snails have eaten all my lettuces though, so you can't win them all. But I am embarrassed to admit that the recent wet weather has also brought a magnificent crop of weeds. Oh well...

September - almost autumn

2010-09-25T13:41:00.010+02:00

Autumn is arriving and much too fast. We picked our grapes yesterday because the weather forecast for the coming weeks is terrible - rain and chilly, not what we want in September at all. I am off on a business trip now for a couple of weeks so here are a few photos of the flowers that are bringing so much colour into the garden at the moment but I don't expectthem to be here when I return. Thank goodness for Sternbergia ...

GBBD September 2010 - Medici Blooms

2010-09-17T14:06:00.010+02:00

I was abroad on business on Bloom Day but arrived back just in time to go with the Med Garden Soc to visit the newly restored gardens at two Medici Villas near Florence. So here are some of the Medicis' blooms and of course their famous citrus trees. The photos here are from the gardens at Villa Castello where Paolo Galeotti, Curator, kindly showed us round; over the past 30 years he has worked to restore the gardens in accordance with records of how they were first created in 1480 and then tracked down plants in the area which are the same as the original ones that the Medici would have planted. The lawns in spring are a riot of flowers and they say were the inspiration for Botticelli's Rite of Spring which was painted near here. I must go back in March to see for myself. There are around 500 citrus trees in terracotta pots, some of which date back to the Medicis themselves and carry their coat of arms. Even the trees are very old: several are over 300 years old and the ones considered 'young' are mostly over 200 years. They all have to be brought indoors in the winter and there is a special house or 'limonaia' to accomodate them. Some of the pots are very big - up to 2m (6ft 6in) diameter and it takes a team of gardeners with special equipment for this task alone. The citrus are repotted every 10 years or so and this is also a huge job carried out by mobile crane. Watering the pots is done indivually - no automatic systems - and the gardeners tap each pot and listen - if it 'rings' then the soil is dry and needs water. But not just citrus here: blooming at the moment are Salvia, Nerine, Perovskia, Plumbago and the original Jasmine Sambac brought back from the Orient for the Medicis in the early 18th century, which has an almost overpowering scent.

Summer pond life

2010-08-15T15:24:00.006+02:00

Despite the strange weather this summer the pond plants carry on unperturbed. Waterlilies, water mint (note the red dragonfly), water plantain and Pontederia in the shallows plus grasses around the edge all watch on as people swim.

Happy summer

GBBD August 2010

2010-08-15T11:12:00.009+02:00

Today is Ferr'agosto, the Italian feast of the Assumption but in fact a very ancient festival dating back to Roman times. All of Itali is on holiday today.

This August has been very different from past years: after an impossibly hot dry July with temperatures reaching near to 40C, we were plunged into gloom and yesterday it was only 18C and torrential rain and thunderstorms. Only by unplugging and disconnecting every electrical connection in the house did we manage to avoid the total meltdown caused by the massive storm a week ago.

So those few stalwart plants that might have been in bloom are struggling to pick themselves off the ground, although with any luck we will see a fresh flush of blooms in coming days. Right now the brave pink Salvia microphylla is holding its head up but with only a few blooms remaining whilst the luminous creamy Oleander which has flowered longer than usual has been bashed about. The only rose properly in flower is Blush Noisette but the intensely blue Perovskia soldiers on undaunted. I have found that Tulbaghia combines well with the ornamental grasses and also lends a welcome splash of violet in this difficult month. Finally, a new discovery (which I can't remember the name of but probably comes from Australia?) has put on a spurt of orange flowers and is cheering up my desolate gravel garden.

Buon Ferr'Agosto a tutti!

Veg progress

2010-07-16T10:44:00.009+02:00

The hot weather following the wet has brought on the veg a real treat. In fact we are struggling to cope with an avalanche of zucchini, especially the round ones. See here a basket full I picked over the course of 24 hours - I am learning to pick more than once per day as they grow so fast: the big round one pictured weighs just short of 1 kg ...

Not all the seeds have taken, which is no surprise as I sowed them so late. Beetroot has come up albeit patchy and I have been using young leaves in salad and will see if the roots are edible and not gone woody in this heat. But I added some French Bean seeds recently and they are mostly showing leaves already.

The Swiss Chard is also overwhelming as is the Wild Rocket. I made Rocket Pesto - with walnuts as opposed to Basil Pesto with Pine Nuts, but I will make some of that soon too as the Basil is doing well with huge leaves.

The various Onions are a but sad looking and the Shallots have almost disappeared but the Leeks seem to be keeping going. The Tomatoes are just starting to take colour - the little date shaped ones called Daterino are looking nice even though the plants are not as strong as the normal Cherry tomato. In the picture the plants look a mess as I have been away for a couple of days: I have been taking off the side shoots but should I pinch out the tops now to stop more trusses of fruit forming? Aubergines are coming along as are Peppers (still small) and Chillies - these long green ones are mild and round here they are fried to accompany grilled meat.

One lot of lettuce bolted before I could pick it and the Batavian lettuce has been patchy. But the red edged crinkly lettuce seems to be withstanding the heat quite well so I have put in a few more plantlets. Also some bulb fennel plants. The Radicchio plants are gowing (slowly) but the seed did nothing at all. The mixed lettuce seed seems to have taken but again patchy; I hope not to have to plant any more lettuce this year. I have some plantlets of Cavolo Nero, Cauliflower and Cabbage waiting to go in but ther really isn't any room yet: we must eat quicker!

Buon appetito!
Y

GBBD July 2010 - Kinda' Blue

2010-07-15T14:36:00.012+02:00

Here we are, another Bloom Day, thanks as always to Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

The late cold wet start to the summer has turned suddenly into an inferno of heat (well over 35 degrees) with a horrid hot wind that is drying everything to a crisp. And the colour scheme has shifted too: now the yellows and golds are giving way to a profusion of blues. Some of the blue plants are blooming awfully early so I hope they stay the course. A particularly welcome intense blue is the rather rare blue Thyme. Nearby there is an informal low hedges of Hyssop. Tall bobbles of Echinops rival the steely blue Eryngium. And there is no ignoring the massive purple-blue flowers of the artichokes (which we somehow never get around to harvesting at the right time for eating). At the other end of the scale is the delightful little Limoniastrum which I am growing for the first time. All this plus of course Lavender (lots of types), Agapanthus, Buddleia, Ceratostigma, Hybiscus syriacus 'blue bird', Perovskia, Verbena Bonariensis ...

Happy July Bloom Day

Reflections

2010-06-19T12:35:00.009+02:00

Key to designing a garden around water are the reflections on the water surface of the plants at different times of year - and sometimes reflections of things you would prefer to hide. Often there are surprises ,so it pays not to try too hard, just enjoy the effect.

GBBD June 2010 - golden days

2010-06-19T11:09:00.012+02:00

Sorry to be so late posting my Bloom Day pictures - I have been away all week but did not want to miss the chance to record what is blooming right now. Summer is finally here and the garden is turning golden. All the rain in Spring has caused many plants to grow taller than usual. Even the humble Hypericum is making generous shrubs. Phlomis is everywhere, not just yellow but also pink forms, as it is one of the few plants that really grow well here. Santolina in silver, green and grey leaved varieties too are doing well. The little carpetting Tanacetum is flowering for the first time; Coreopsis, Senecio, Achillea and Helichrysum are all in flower together; the Genista is staying in flower for much longer than usual. But the real star is the yellow Water Lily which has just come into flower.

Veg plotting

2010-06-07T14:51:00.009+02:00

I got absolutely sick of battling against weeds, animals, lack of water supply ... and so decided to plant no more vegetables unless and until I had a proper raised bed sytem set up. It has taken a while to get going, mostly due to the bad weather, but at long last the beds have been constructed and filled with soil and mushroom compost, plus whatever other 'goodness' I could find. The four beds are each 1.6m wide and 4m long, in two zones one higher than the other (owing to the uneven land profile). Yes, I know that is much wider than most people advise but at least I can walk around and reach from all sides. The new plot is right next to the house and there is a well there too. The paths dividing the beds will be paved once the soil has settled. So just in the nick of time, as the temperature is soaring, I have put in as many seedlings as I could lay my hands on. Tomatoes, aubergines, zucchini, lettuce, beet, radicchio, rocket, onions, leeks, peppers - a wide selection so I can see which ones do best. Plus I have sown some seed - lettuce and chichory mixtures - but I doubt they will do anything. Now here's hoping ...

I don't want to go to Chelsea ....

2010-05-28T09:43:00.013+02:00

when I have a flower show of my own right here.

PS You have to be of a certain age to recognise the Elvis Costello song in the title!

I-pond

2010-05-17T18:15:00.003+02:00

With thanks to Prospect Magazine.
Y

War on weeds

2010-05-17T13:58:00.013+02:00

A short respite from the endless rain and the weeds are roaring out of the ground. Particulary bad this year is wild Vetch and Docks. Attacking the terraces where the earth is stony is not so bad; the task of getting rid of them from the heavy clay is much more daunting. But I like to weed by hand as it gives me a chance to see how everyone is doing, and to make sure not to damage the bulbs which only I know are hidden there (and sometimes not even I do). But I am also careful to leave the self-seeded wild poppies as their splash of colour is only too welcome and echo the Rot Hot Pokers that have started to bloom and reflect on the water surface. I also found some self-seeded Euphorbia and wild Verbascum which I will leave to grow on.

Garden Bloggers' (Wet) Bloom Day May 2010

2010-05-15T09:27:00.009+02:00

Most unusually, we have had never ending rain and more storms and rain forecast for the coming weeks. Last May we had no rain whatsoever and the temperature was in the mid 30s, so this is a bit of a shock. Many plants have been beaten to the ground and petals strewn around. But the frogs are happy and their chorus is louder than ever (if that were possible).

Some plants are bearing up however and the flowers on the salvia, centranthus, barba jovis rhaphiolepis and convolvulus are good. In fact the raindrops hanging from the fronds of bronze fennel and artemesia are quite attractive. The Zepherine Drouhin is sheltered so has not suffered as badly as Mme Alfred Carrier, Mutabilis and Old Blush.

The iris have been struggling to stand up and their big petals are weighed down by the water; the best ones are under the shelter of olive trees. The Dutch bulb form are even bent over. The gladiolus bizantium (new this year) have down well and perhaps they like this weather.

Must dash now and get back out there to bale out a huge puddle... but do go to Carol's blog at May Dreams Garden to see what other bloggers around the world have in bloom http://www.maydreamsgardens.com/
Y

Rose garden at Spoleto

2010-05-14T14:44:00.007+02:00

An outing with the Giardino Romano garden club to a specialist plant collector's rose garden near Spoleto. Prof Luciano Arcangeli has hundreds of roses, antique, modern and rare, arranged formally on pergolas next to the house and informally on the slopes running down through his olive grove. He knows the name and habits of every rose even the obscure ones he has tracked down in Hindu temples in India or in the mountains of Nepal. Interestingly he observes that the first roses that David Austin produced seem to do alright here in Umbria but the more recent ones do not.

Favourite roses I have noted down to plant next autumn (yes, planning next year already!) include Conrad F Meyer; Crepuscule; Alistair Stella Grey and Celine Forrestier. Watch this space!

Spring at last? The first water lily

2010-05-10T10:24:00.003+02:00

To the great joy of the little green frogs, the water lilies have spread their leaves on the pond surface and the first flowers are opening. The frog chorus is deafening ...
Y

Mystery plant named ....

2010-05-02T10:20:00.004+02:00

Eremophila Nivea (also spelled Erimophila and known as Silky Eremophila).

Many thanks to Carol Smith for tracking it down in the amazingly comprehensive Flora Gardeners Bible.
A native of Western Australia, it likes sunny, airy, well drained sites and cannot take much cold (zones 9 - 11). Grows to around 5ft but is happy in a pot. Needs regular light pruning to maintain the bushy shape.
Great plant, and there are others in the same family with different coloured flowers, leaves and growth habits. Worth getting to know.
Y

PS I have already got it into a terracotta pot so that I can move it indoors in the winter

Early Chinese rose rally

2010-05-02T09:53:00.013+02:00

The roses are starting to bloom especially early this year - which is strange as all the agricultural crops (vines, olives etc) are at least two weeks late. But Chinas already in flower are Beauty of Rosemaur, Comptesse du Cayla (new this year), Cramoisie Supérieur, Louis XIV, Mutabilis, Old Blush Clg, Pom pom du Paris, Queen Mab, Sanguinea, Viridis. Of these, the star performer to date is Pom Pom du Paris which is a huge shrub covered with cheerful pink pompoms. An early surprise but let's hope they stay blooming for a while. And there are at least another 5 varieties yet to come into flower.
Y

Mystery plant

2010-04-29T10:08:00.004+02:00

Can anyone help me identify this plant?

A friend had been given this and we hav no idea what it is. The leaves and stems are very soft and downy with slight fragrant when crushed but certainly not like Artemesia or Helichrysum. It has delightful violet bell flowers which have just appeared but these are not the same form as Teucrium or Salvia flowers. It is only about 25cm high at the moment but I have no idea how tall it might grow, nor its requirements for site and soil nor its resistence to cold.

Help please!

Last minute hedge

2010-04-28T11:36:00.006+02:00

The temperature has started to soar and is already mid 20s during the daytime; a storm is forecast for this evening then even hotter days to follow and no more rain. So today is the very last day for planting pretty much anything, especially larger shrubs. So the vivaista sent yet another truck load of plants. This time it is to make a last dash at the 'hedges' or rather the areas alongside the ugly fence around the pond. I don't want a hedge as such, just a range of shrubs loosely arranged to distract the eye from the wire netting and where I can put loads of bulbs.

The selection of shrubs is pretty varied: lenticus, mirtus, osmanthus, medicago, pittosporum heterophyllum, phillyrea, crataegus (hawthorn) ... then lots of white spirea to add a feathery infilling ... plus a few rugged climbers like honeysuckle and dog rose. At the end of the fence we also planted an area with lavender - again a mixture of types. The finishing touch was a whole mass of irises some of named varieties and varied colours and flowering times but mostly the ordinary local purple one.

Then the thunder rolls and rain begins to fall ... just in time.

GBBD April 2010 - savage tulips

2010-04-15T13:47:00.007+02:00

Springtime is usually a rather short-lived affair ere so we have to make the most of it. This year has been really strange with heatwave followed by snow followed by ... don't know but Spring would be nice.I like to have some bulbs and now that I have a fenced off area around the pond I can do this. I try to stick to types that could conceivably grow here naturally so tulips but only of the wild kind. My Tulipa are the lovely pink and white 'Lady Jane' and the pale yellow and red 'Clusiana Sheila'. I think that the Clusium inthe name refers to the town of Chiusi near here in Umbria. These Tulipa also have the advantage that they naturalise as I realy cannot be bothered to lift and store them over winter. The Dutch iris are also a boon and initially the porcupine did not like them but since have developed a taste for them and destroyed an entire bed; so far the wild animals have left my Narcissus 'Cheerfulness' alone so fingers crossed.

Happy Spring Bloom Day,

PS 'wild' or species tulips in Italian are termed 'selvattico' = savage

and going on ...

2010-04-13T16:38:00.003+02:00

Another 30 - no, 40 odd - plants in the Gravel Garden and ... it still looks like nothing. So let's pause now and wait to see what happens. If anything.

Gravel garden gets going

2010-04-11T11:56:00.006+02:00

For those of you who were wondering when and where I was going to plant all those little plants I had delivered from Filippi, here is the answer - at long last.

I did not manage to get many of them into the ground before winter and in the end perhaps best so because several of them suffered very badly in the severe winter and especially with the snow. So lots of them spent the winter under a layer of 'fleece' outside the front door. I had thought to plant them in the terraces above the pond but they look so small and vulnerable that it seemed cruel to cast them out into the wilderness. So my vivaista suggested we put them right next to the house where I can give them the care and attention that they deserve. Thus was born the idea of a new Gravel Garden. It is intended as a 'soft' alternative to paving around the entrance to the steps and terrace behind the house. It is an area where I had so far made no progress largely because the ground there is mostly rubble and concrete left by the previous owners. The vivaista's team brought a little excavator and dug some irregular shaped holes and took away the rubble. Then they delivered some dry sandy earth to fill them and we put a few marker stones around the perimeters to show where to plant. But once the plants have got going them we will cover the whole area with large smooth gravel and - I hope - the path through this area will be defined in terms of groups of plants.

Well I put in about 60 plants and - it looks like nothing at all. It needs at least another 30 before it will be anywhere near enough even though this is a small area. This garden can eat three Shredded Wheats.

More plants - how many more?

2010-04-08T14:25:00.007+02:00

Back after another pause - this time because a bolt of lightning struck the house and blew up all the computers, phones etc. Surely there must be a means to prevent this?

Anyway, in the meantime my vivaista has been here with a truck load (or two) of plants and a team of gardeners to tidy up the garden around the pond and to fill in the gaps. They mowed the Burmuda grass almost down to the bare earth and hoed around all the plants. By the way - the garden hoe (english or dutch) is unknown in Italy: they just have a crude zapper of agricultural type. We took the opportunity to do trimming back and feeding too.

We also added a lot more Chinese roses - there are approaching 70 now - and dug a lot of new ground for new planting. The Terracotta Nymph was a little squeamish about having more Louis XIV planted around her feet.

So all this effort was just to consolidate the existing planting - how much more to go?

Pruning Buddleia

2010-03-20T18:37:00.009+01:00

The weather is warmer by the day and plants are sending out new shoots. Having pruned the roses my eye now falls on the Buddleia for a tough but fair treatment. If I don't get to grips with the plants whilst they are still young, they will grow up all woody and leggy. So trimming back to 2 inches (5 cm) of the old wood is the only way. I go round with the secateurs telling them that 'This is going to hurt me more than it hurts you' anf hope they forgive me. Dreams of the shrubs covered in blooms in jewel colours - I particularly like the pink - and swarms of butterflies drive me on. Cruel to be kind.

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day March 2010

2010-03-15T10:14:00.014+01:00

Despite the snow damage the garden is bursting into bloom with the first sunshine - may even be spring??? Apricot and Almond trees are flowering with the white petals drifting down like snow flakes. Wild violets are appearing all over the garden. The little Iris reticulata 'Edward' I planted last autumn have come through and really do have a perfume as promised by the supplier - a sort of sweet violet (but I had to get down on hands & knees to savour it). Hostas have bloomed as never before and I must remember to plant more. But the little daffodils mixed with species crocus are the best - a splash of golden yellow to warm the spirits. These small perfumed daffs grow wild in Sicily - one of the few things that the Cosa Nostra can't control, thank goodness.

Back again in time to trim

2010-03-14T12:28:00.004+01:00

Sorry to have been silent for so long - I have been away in Dubai and Kuala Lumpur on business. I arrived back in Italy to be met with snow - most unusual at this time of year and it is still visible on the hills several days later. The bulbs that had started to raise theirs heads up were all dashed back onto the ground by the weight of the snow.
But a sunny day yesterday got me out there pruning, just in time as the roses are already sending out new shoots, despite the snow. To tempt me home whilst I was in the Far East I got an email saying 'Come home soon, I have bought you some electronic secateurs'. Well who could resist - I was home in flash!
Actually, I normally hate gadgets but this has really worked well for me. After having hurt my shoulder so badly when pruning a couple of years ago that I ended up in hospital, I think these recharegable secateurs are just the thing. They are not as heavy or bulky as they look in the photo and the charge lasted all afternoon. They cut cleanly, even if you hold them at arms' length, and are ok for roses except for the really big old branches, so it is long handles loppers for those. The only thing that takes a bit of getting used to is that the blade is not exactly where you think it is so at first I cut branches off a little wide of the mark, but now have got the hang of it.
Happy pruning everyone!
Y

Comments commentary

2010-02-08T09:57:00.002+01:00

I very much appreciate it when people take the time and trouble to leave a comment on this blog. But recently I have started to get a lot of 'spam' comments which are rather annoying and so I am sorry but I have had to impose a lot of tedious procedures. Please don't be put off - perhaps the spammers will get fed up and go away then I can remove the security again.
Y

Snow - at last - and terracotta

2010-02-01T08:42:00.007+01:00

We missed out on the snow so far this winter although the temperatures have been quite low, minus 6 C. So it was a nice surprise to wake this morning to a dusting of snow which transforms the garden. The terracotta pots now really come into their own and add a touch of warm colour to the monchrome scene. The nymph looks rather chily and is pulling her terracotta robe a little tighter against the cold. The large pots show their textures and ridges to great advantage with snow revealing the contours.
Y

Spanner in the works

2010-01-16T17:39:00.003+01:00

I have not posted anything much recently, partly due to the off-putting weather, but largely because there has been a bit of a spanner in the workings of my garden plan and I have just ground to a halt.

The local Vigili del Fuoco (Fire Brigade) came round and inspected the LPG gas tank which is buried in the front garden. I was just about to plant a whole load of shrubs around it when they said that instead I had to put a fence 2m high and about 4m x 5m long and must do this within the month. I wouldn't care but the tank is RIGHT INFRONT of the front door of the house. Oh well, I thought, I will just have to put bigger shrubs around it. But NO, NOT ALLOWED, there cannot be vegetation within 10m of the tank nor stones nor gravel. WHY????

Anyway, I had to get it done right away (cost Euro 900) for fear of being fined. Now what to do? Moving the tank somewhere less obtrusive would be the most obvious thing to do, but finding a suitable site is not that easy - the regulations are very tight on where it can go. And the gas company will have to agree and the fire brigade will have to come and inspect again and how much will it all cost and on it goes.

A sympathetic friend came and looked at it and asked a question that I really could not answer: is the fence to keep people out or to keep something in? Search me.

Watch this space.

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - January 2010

2010-01-15T17:01:00.004+01:00

Well this is a pretty poor show. I know that I should do better and that I am letting the side down - I bet that all the GBBD bloggers in America have masses of blooms all over their gardens, despite the snow, hurricanes, earthquakes and all, but there it is. My one pathetic offering is this Winter Jasmine growing in a pot by my front door. Things have got to get better.

Good news, bad news

2009-12-11T17:58:00.003+01:00

Good news - thanks to Hortulus I now know that the mystery oleander is called Nerium 'Splendens Foleis Variegata' and that it is available from Olivier Filippi.
Bad news - Filippi ranks it as one of the most tender and frost sensitive oleanders that he grows and it will not tolerate any frost at all.
Perhaps I should try it in a pot and bring it in during the winter? It has to be worth it.
Y

Whether the weather

2009-12-08T12:26:00.004+01:00

The weather (or climate? Apparently we have take care to differentiate!) seems all a mess. The temperature today is 5deg above the norm and yet we are forecast frost and snow by the end of the week. A fellow garden blogger in South Texas reported heavy snow yesterday. What's going on?

Earlier in the year we had a terribly hot May which damaged the olive blossom. We have five or six types of olive tree here - Frantoio, Leccino, Moraiolo and so on. But they all suffered from the early heatwave and their flowers fell to the ground without setting fruit. One variety which is unique to this area though is Dolce Agogia and this flowers and fruits earlier than all the others. As a result we had Dolce olives but nothing else. No complaints - this olive has the lowest acidity possible and the yield at the mill was high (18%) which meant we got 100 litres of oil even though we only harvested a few of our 200 trees.

By the way, in Italy there are around 500 different types of olive and there are regional specialities reflecting differences in climate (or weather?) and soil. However it is quite difficult to tell them apart unless the trees have ripe fruit on them - all those narrow silvery leaves look the same to me! In our neighbourhood there is a local initiative to promote the organic production of Dolce Agogia olives as a premium product since its oil has such special characteristics.

Do you recall this little ditty?

"Whether the weather is cold, whether the weather is hot, whatever the weather we'll weather the weather, whether we like it or not."

Anyone know this plant?

2009-11-22T09:33:00.006+01:00

On my recent visit to Tunis I found that the gardens at the hotel overlooking the sea were planted with hedges of variagated Oleander. The stripy leaves are very ornamental even when the plant is not in flower, but the bright pink semi-double flowers are also very nice. The shrubs seem to grow about as high as the Oleanders here. I did not take any cuttings because (apart from my lack of competence in this area) I did not want to run foul of the customs police at Rome airport. So I would like to ask if anyone else has this plant and if so where could I buy one and does it have any resistence to cold?

Rose review redux

2009-11-17T19:22:00.003+01:00

On a recent visit with the Med Garden Soc to a very nice garden near Trevi, I asked the owner/gardener what the rose was (photo). The reply was rapid and firm: it is Eglantine (David Austin) and it's going to be dug out and replaced by one of the Noisettes. No nonsense there. She is of course quite and there were several (dead) specimens of the same rose all around the garden. To survive in this climate takes a particularly tough type of rose and certainly Noisettes are in with a chance as well as the Chinas. So it was rather pleasing to discover on my visit to the Perth Botanical Gardens (see previous post) a book in their visitor centre dedicated to Tea Roses for warmer climates http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tea-Roses-Old-Warm-Gardens/dp/187705867X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1258478720&sr=1-1-fkmr0. In my view if they grow well in Australia then it is worth considering for Italy. In fact if you take a look at the Peter Beales' catalogue the Tea rose section has many roses marked as 'suitable for a warm climate'. This is not the same as modern hybrid teas - about which I am a bit snooty but there you are. Good examples of Teas which do well here include Lady Hillingdon, Gloire de Dijon but I am particularly drawn to the fabulously named Baronne Henriette de Snoy which I can't wait to try.
Y

Wizard Oz plants

2009-11-17T17:19:00.011+01:00

A visit to the Botanical Gardens in Kings Park, Perth WA. These gardens have been cultivated almost as long as Perth has existed - amazing how cultural priorities shape a community from its very origins.
It is the most extraordinary collection of native plants, over 25,000 of which at least 10,000 cannot be found outside Australia. The gardens are beautifully laid out and maintained with every plant clearly labelled. Collections of plants are grouped according to region of Australia and some special collections of single species such as Banksia (first discovered by the botanist Banks who accompanied Captain Cook on his voyage to Botany Bay). In the Banksia garden there are wrought iron benches designed specially to resemble the leaves of Banksia and the paving has mosaics of Banksia too - I would have liked to take those home.
This is late spring and the weather is glorious - sunny and warm with a breeze. The range and depth of colour of many of the plants in flower really impresses. The 'Kangaroo Paw' Anigozanthos (emblem of the state of Western Australia) is my favourite: it comes in a wide range of interesting colours including rich burgundy, gold, russet and a lime yellow with black centre (this last one is in fact Macropidia fulginosa). I wonder whether I can get it to grow in Italy? In Perth there is almost a perfect Mediterranean climate - hot dry summers and cool wet winters and no frost. Perhaps it will be too cold but might be worth trying in pots if I can get hold of some seeds.
Even the 'Bottle Brush' plants are interesting and varied - the one in the photo has irregular shaped flowers. Last but not least the Jacaranda trees in full bloom - my photo does not do justice to the masses of purple flowers. Well worth the trip Down Under to discover such a wealth of plant life.
Y

Planting pause

2009-11-10T15:11:00.002+01:00

No post just at the moment: I have been travelling (on business) last week to Tunis and at the moment I am in Perth WA. So no planting right now. I have managed to get some liitle plants in the ground already but mostly in sandy or stony soil where I confident that there will be good drainage. The area where I had wanted to put a collection of Teucriums and Santolinas is just too clayey and water logged so no progress until I can get a load of grit delivered. So in the meantime I am studying the plants in these far away places where the climate is truly Mediterranean but the indigenous flora totally different. Photos and observations to follow soon.
G'day to y' all (to be read in a comic zzie accent ...).
Y

Filippi plants arrive

2009-10-31T14:23:00.006+01:00

My order has arrived from Olivier Filippi. The plants are very carefully packed and shipped by special courier. They seem to have survived the journey - but can I remember what I ordered? More crucially, can I plant them properly before they start to suffer in their pots ... a daunting prospect. All those special Teucrium, Santolina, Salvia, Oleander, Medicago, Buddleia, Lonicera, Coronilla ... reliant on me to do the right thing.
Y

Plant sale

2009-10-26T08:54:00.005+01:00

The Med Garden Soc held their annual plant sale this weekend - it used to be in May when the weather was nicer so a sure bet for a good social event, but for optimum planting the autumn date is more suitable. Some of us find it a challenge to keep little plantlets alive through the heat of summer but we try our best.
Around 50 of us descended on Gary Gardenhire's house and magical garden in the hills above Spoleto (more on this later). It was 'dog eat dog' to get the best specimens but everyone came away with more that they had expected and usually with plants they did not already know. I tried to restrict myself and 'only' bought a Miscanthus zebrinus, 2 sisynchrysum, an Eryngium and a Kafir lily ... should I have got those Stipa barbata as well? Too late!
Y

Boring but important - Pyracantha

2009-10-23T15:05:00.005+02:00

The bright orange and yellow berries of the spiny Pyracantha bush are everywhere at this time of year. Does that make it too boring? Well it seems to survive in my garden where all else fails - both drought and frost - and the splash of colour at this time of year is welcome. There are shorter varieties good for a low hedge and and tall, up to 4 m high giants for massive thorny barriers. Even Olivier Filippi has a tall hedge of un-clipped Pyracantha protecting his pépinière - so it must be alright then.
Y

Visit to Pépinière Filippi

2009-10-16T09:28:00.006+02:00

My visit to the Olivier Filippi plant nursery was definitely an inspiration. At first I thought the place seemed smaller than I had expected but of course Filippi only sells small specimen plants in little pots but in an extraordinary range and variety. No serried ranks of identical pine trees in big pots as we always find in an Italian vivaio, even though the establishment is called a pépinière. The Filippi family's own garden is open for visitors and this is a magical maze of gravel paths between seemingly random (but actually carefully planned) plants which are never watered. the garden runs down to the edge of the sun sparkling étang where rows of oyster fishers nets are out across the water. The shrubby plants in this garden have all been trimmed ready for the winter and the effect of the contrasting tidy mounds of vegetation is very pleasing. There is also a 'show' garden where different varieties of plants are arranged and carefully labelled to demonstrate what is available and how they all grow. Everywhere the gravel is deep and large - no nasty small crunchy 'home counties' style gravel but big smooth river washed stones that are kind to the feet. Seedling of plants are encouraged and whilst the gravel keeps weeds down the seedlings often take in interesting and unimagined places. Now I am about to order a vast number of plants for my own garden - I hope that I can live up to this standard!
Y

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day October 2009

2009-10-15T10:29:00.010+02:00

I am just back from a trip to Provence in the South of France. More of a pilgrimage, actually: I went to visit the plant nursery of the specialist dry gardener Olivier Filippi near Montpellier. His is an almost evangelical mission to educate us in how to cultivate a dry garden that has colour and interest all year round. October is no exception - here are photos of four plants in bloom that I cannot find here in Italy. The magnificent climber Podranea ricasoliana was in bloom with huge swathes of pink trumpet flowers mixed with the white of Solana. Cheerful red Epilobium canum had self seeded all around. The lovely plump shrub Leucophyllum frutescens with purple flowers would look very nice on my terraces. His Salvia microphylla is of an intense purple-red that is far superior to the ordinary red and blue that I have.
I have plenty in bloom today too, as these photos below show, but nothing that Filippi did not already have only bigger and better. Michaelmas Daisies, of course. Campsis vine flowering for the first time in my garden - I don't know why I find it so difficult when it grows like a weed for other people. Two plants that have flowered continuously since early summer and are still going now: Tulbaghia and Verbena Bonariensis and both of which mix very well with grasses and other silver dry plants.
Y

Ornamental grasses round up

2009-10-10T08:29:00.013+02:00

The ornamental grasses 'graminacei' have been a mixed bag: some of the tall feathery ones have been a real delight, Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Overdam’ has been in 'flower' since June and has provided reflections and movement against the water. Miscanthus sinensis ‘Yukushima Dwarf’ started to flower with different shades of plumes in September and is already forming nice clumps of grass. Miscanthus sinensis ‘Zebrinus’ is less strong growing but the striped leaves are very attractive. Deschampsia cespitosa and Panicum Virgatum are other feathery tall grasses which seem to have survived without much water. Andropogon scoparsi has interesting red colouration against the blue stems but is flopping about so rather untidy. The blue Elymus Prairie grass is also spreading well and provides a sharp steely blue contrast. Festuca is surviving and has some fine points of flowers but does not seem to be spreading much. Stipa also is surviving and sending up new green stems amongst the bunches of dry 'bad hair day' grass.
But anything in the Carex family has been pretty disappointing, despite copious watering (by my standards). Mostly they are dried up and it is hard to know whether they are dead or might revive with the winter rains (if we get any). Should I dig them all up now or wait until spring?
Y

Cobrahead weeder - brilliant new gadget

2009-10-03T09:57:00.004+02:00

Carol at May Dreams Gardens organised a 'prize draw' to win a Cobrahead Weeder - and we all got one. They very kindly sent mine to me here in Italy and it definitely is the best thing - very simple but totally effective and versatile. Thank you!
Y

Terrace talk - end of summer review

2009-09-29T14:24:00.006+02:00

We are at the end of September now and therefore nearly at the end of summer - although the temperatures are still in the mid 20s and no rain in sight. So how did the new plants get on during the long, hot summer? I never watered any of them more than once every 10 days and some never at all. Out of around 1,000 plants I think that I have lost no more than 10 - which is less than 1% failure rate. Not too bad - but now I have to plan what extra plants to put in to make the effect complete. The choice is going to be of course from the first group as follows.
Plants that never got watered and still did well: Abelia, Eurphorbia, Gaura, Santolina, Helianthum, Helichrysum, Teucrium, Lavender, Pistacia, Buddleia, Caryopteris, Mytus (small), Phlomis, Perovskia, Spirea, Ceanothus, Elaeganus macrophylla, Vitex agnus-castus.
Plants that only needed watering during the first month then were alright without: Cistus, Rosmarinus, Euonymus, Philadephus, Holm Oak, Laburnum, Arbutus, Verbena Bonariensis, Salvia nemorosa, Echinops.
Plants that seemed to be fine without water all summer but got distressed in the last couple of weeks: Senecio, Hypericum, some roses.
Plants that were surprisingly needy, especially if they were large specimens: Ulex, Pomegranate, Viburnum tinus, Laurus, Feijoa, Myrtus (large).
Y

Why can't I grow Crocosmia?

2009-09-27T15:11:00.002+02:00

This is the third time that I have tried and failed to grow Crocosmia. Why?
I planted bulbs in winter and tried to keep them watered but not water logged. the Heremocalis (Day Lily) plants around the same bed are doing OK so what went wrong?
This month the RHS magazine featured Crocosmia and noted that Montbretia can often go mad and take over. Not here it wouldn't. But just to give the miserable sulking shoots in the Crocosmia bed something to think about I put the magazine with its glorious cover picture in there - just take a look at what you ought to look like!
Y

Belated Bloom Day September 2009

2009-09-20T12:18:00.010+02:00

Sorry I'm late with my Bloom Day photos - these plants were all in flower last week - honest - but I was not at home to photograph them. Lots of late colour coming through now, including reds and strong pinks. Sedum is a great plant for this climate but I am also pleased with the Gaura which has formed decent sized clumps even in the first year and softens the shrubbery. A surprise to find the Philadelphus in flower but here it tends to repeat - aren't we lucky, even if the scent is not so strong as in spring. The Euonymus Europeus 'Priest's Hat' Spindle tree is rather fun and the favourite rose Phyllis Bide is coming back into flower. The Caryopteris is an exciting blue combination with the Buddleia which are still blooming and they are all covered with butterflies.
Y

Figs - main crop

2009-08-26T14:56:00.002+02:00

The main season of figs is now with us - a little early but very welcome. The hot sunshine intensifies the sweetness and when they are ripe the fruit start to drip honey-like sweet juice. Nothing nicer than going into the garden and picking ripe figs for breakfast. I may even make fig jam.
Y

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - August

2009-08-15T10:07:00.011+02:00

August is a difficult month here for blooms - it is usually so hot and dry that almost everything goes to sleep (including people). Even the water plants are taking a rest, although the lilies keep going but not so many as in springtime. Thankfully the Oleanders carry their flowers throughout the hot season and the Rubeckia adds welcome colour to the 'hot' flower bed. Elsewhere it is almost all blue flowers: the Perovskia is finishing now but still creates a steely blue haze; Hyssop makes an interesting if a bit messy low hedge and Tulbaghia, a relative of allium, adds a zing to groups of grasses and Veronica Bonariensis which is still holding on. Ceratostigma is the star with intense blue flowers that come out just now. Last but not least, the ornamental grasses are starting to 'flower' that is show their silky heads which pick up the slightest breeze.
Y

Pond life - serene

2009-08-14T10:18:00.009+02:00

Seeing Ingrid's post about pools which featured my pond - in the rain - I thought I had better show you how the pond is now in the hot dry weather. The pond has moods and often goes dark when there is a change in the weather especially after a big storm. But right now the water is clear and limpid even though the temperature is up around 35 degrees (95F). The underwater plants are busy making oxygen and the water lilies cast shade to help cool the water - the temperature of the water at the surface is nearly 30 degrees when in full sun. The water in the swimming zone is 2.5 m deep and keeps a lot cooler at that depth.
These photos were taken early in the morning, before the frogs had woken up, and everything was serene.
Y

Roses - end of term report

2009-08-08T14:15:00.004+02:00

Now that high summer has arrived the roses are going to sleep until cooler weather returns - estivation, the summer version of hibernation - so here is my review of the performance so far of the climbing roses I planted around the pond area during winter.
Top marks - Phyllis Bide which has made good bushy growth and has been in flower without a pause until now. The individual flowers are not very spectacular but taken as a whole it is a very ornamental plant. I have already ordered some more to plant this winter.
Good flowers & growth - Old Blush, Pompom de Paris, Rosa Macrantha - all had a lot of blooms but only a single flush. Sally Holmes has kept going but it was a container plant put in at the last minute however it is taller than normal and has served a good purpose peeping over the top of a 'pretend' ruined wall (photo). Bouquet d'Or has had some nice flowers, so high hopes for next year. Rugosa Hansa has done well with a single flush but nice hips forming.
Good flowers, weak growth - Cramoisi Supérieur has kept in bloom throughout but on twiggy stems. Blush Noisette has flowered lots but not grown very tall, although it is supposed to be shorter than the others - I have ordered more of this rose.
Good growth but few flowers - Guinée, Cecile Brunner, Rambling Rector, Paul's Himalyan Musk, Zéphirine Drouhin, Gardenia, Devoniensis are all reasonable sized plants now so let's hope they turn their minds to flowering next year. Banksiae Lutescens only really started to get going once the weather had got really warm in July and now it is putting on a lot of good growth which ought to bring very early flowers next spring.
Disappointing - Mme Berard, Souvenir de Mme L Viennot both have done miserably but I think I have put them in the wrong places and perhaps I should swop them around this winter - one likes full sun and the other prefers a bit of shade. Rugosa Marie Bugnet has suffered badly in the hot dry conditions although I must confess that it is planted in almost entirely stones so perhaps no rose would have thrived.
So my rose order for this winter will contain a few repeats of these but definitely stick to Noisettes and Chinas.
Y

Figs - i primi

2009-07-20T15:08:00.004+02:00

Figs have two fruitings each year - or at least they are supposed to, but usually we only seem to get the one later in the year. The first is the 'primi' in July, where the fruit have been on the tree all winter. This year we have loads of primi and I think that it is thanks to the generous winter rains. Quite a treat as these early fruit are especially juicy. Then just wait until September for the summer figs which will be a bit smaller but more intensely sweet.
Y

2009-07-16T16:35:00.003+02:00

Well I suppose we all think that our problems with predators in our gardens are worse than anyone else's but how about this: a fellow Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day blogger in Alaska has moose in her veg plot. I will copy here part of her post because I could not have made this up:

"Harvested by me: red onions that have flower heads, 1 square of cilantro (drying in the dehydrator)

Harvested by the moose: broccoli (only one head and leaves), sugar snap peas (90% of plants and peas) Damn you! A young bull being “chased” by a woman in a car popped into my back yard while I was watering. A quick squirt of the hose in his direction sent him away. However, he must have caught sight of my succulent sugar snap peas and came back later."

For the full blog here is the URL http://myfolia.com/journals/64891-july-15th-update-including-moose-attack
Makes the porcupine seem almost cuddly.
You have to be tough to garden in Alaska!
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Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day

2009-07-16T15:02:00.006+02:00

I keep forgetting to do this but a great idea which has been started in the US by Carol http://maydreamsgardens.blogspot.com/
where gardeners who have blogs post on the 15th of each month photos of what is blooming in their gardens. There are participants now from all over the world.
Most of my garden is a weedy mess at the moment but here are some slightly different photos - a small rush in the shallow water of the pond is in bloom with dear little dark bobbles. Also my Stagazer lilies are doing the decent thing and full of scent. Meanwhile we are having (unusual for this area) a second flush of roses - in the photo is Michelangelo. Also an unusual blue Thyme is just in flower - it comes out a lot later than the others.
I hope to do this properly on 15 August.
Y

Caper capers

2009-07-14T15:04:00.002+02:00

Here I am, back again. Not only did I have to wait quite a while for my new camera to arrive but there was a massive thunderstorm and a direct hit by lightning took out the internet for a fortnight. All back now and crossed fingers it stays this way.
A pleasing arrival during this blackout was the flowering of the caper plants that I planted in the crevices of the stonework on the terraces. Capers are very exotic looking plants but they have need no for water at all, growing happily high up on the walls of ancient Italian cities. So it is nice to have the odd specimen a bit closer to ground where the flowers can be appreciated. If a pot grown plant is too big to squeeze into the crevice then you can plant the seed pods in autumn pushed into a gap with a bit of compost. But I am told that they need limestone conditions so if in doubt stick a chunk of concrete in there with it.
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Pond life - frog spot

2009-06-21T11:41:00.004+02:00

Whilst my new camera has not yet arrived, my friend Margaret Leon came to see the pond and with her zoom lens caught this photo of the frog - without her having to get wet.
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Foliar feed

2009-06-13T16:28:00.002+02:00

No, not a dinner of leaves. It is one way of getting your plants to eat up their 'food' and a lot of people recommend it as a supplement to fertilizers in the ground.
I have always been a skeptic of foliar feed - why would the plants drink up through their leaves? Surely better to put it in the ground where their roots are.
Well I have changed my mind: the vines have grown a lot more strongly since they had a dose of foliar feed in their spray and the roses on the ends of the rows have also benefited. So now I am doing the same for all the roses and I think it is doing them good, especially when the weather is so dry they cannot 'drink up' anything through their roots.
Y
PS I have ordered a new camera

Pond life - Frog eyed

2009-06-11T21:36:00.001+02:00

Just to add - if you look VERY closely at the last photo, you will see the eyes of the frog peering over the lily leaf. Probably watching his friend about to make a big splash.
Y

Pond life - frog scorn

2009-06-11T16:49:00.002+02:00

I went out into the pond this afternoon on a float with my camera balanced ready to take a sneak photo of the frogs sitting on the water lily leaves. I took this (not very good) photo of one and then there was a mysterious wave - and the camera was soaked. I know that the frogs try to repel strangers by splashing and sinking them - they did this to a champagne cork that floated past them. But now my camera is useless and there will be no more pictures until I buy another. Frogs revenge!
Y

Showing off - rose arch

2009-06-08T12:26:00.004+02:00

I know that I usually moan about my failures on this blog, but just for once I would like to show off. The local fabbro has made-to-measure a wrought iron rose arch with a gate for the entrance to the pond. He used his creative flair and I think has done a very good job.
The rose climbing over the arch is Felicité e Perpetué which flowers (usefully) late but sadly only once. The arch is quite deep so as to give an air of mystery about the approach and the rose is echoed within by Philadelphus, which has its white heavily perfumed flowers at the same time.
Y

Chinese rose report

2009-06-04T10:05:00.008+02:00

Following a couple of days of heavy rain the roses are looking a lot happier. Even so, some are doing better than others.
Honourable mentions for climbers go to Pompom de Paris and Old Blush. Cramoisie Superieure Clg was a slower starter but now doing quite well and in flower.
Shrub roses Camellia and Beauty of Rosemaur have been flowering right from the start and growing nicely; Gruss an Tauplitz and Felemberg have taken longer to flower but are putting on good growth. Arethusa is growing well with nicely coloured fresh foliage but the flowers tend to fall very quickly; Perle d'Or and Queen Mab are being a bit slower and their flowers are also quick to drop. Sanginuea has had a terrible time and I think that I have lost half the plants after repeated animal attacks. By contract, the Mutabilis that suffered similar damage has pulled itself together and will, I hope, survive. Y

Pond life - rain check

2009-06-01T09:45:00.002+02:00

After an entire month without rain and searing temperatures, the rain has arrived as a tropical thunderstorm. Just at the moment when a party of 35 arrived to see the pond. Wet wet wet.
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Terrace talk - watering update

2009-05-28T09:44:00.003+02:00

I have been trying not to water the new plants more than absolutely necessary and after nearly a month without rain and temperatures up in the high 30's it is becoming clear which plants are surviving happily and which are suffering from stress.
Special mention for Abelia which although it looks like a normal flowering shrub most of the dozen or so that I planted have survived with little or no water. Teucrium, Convolvulus Cneorum, Phlomis, Helicrysum, Hypericum have come through well. Lentiscus Pistacia and Myrtus Tarentina have done well when planted as small specimens but the larger plants are suffering. China roses are doing well provided that their feet are well mulched - I have been using a volcanic stone mixture 'La Pillo' for the first time and it seems effective but a bore to apply as the bags are so heavy.
Surprising needy for water are Cistus and Rosmarinus Nano.
Y

Pond life - more 'firsts'

2009-05-24T15:08:00.007+02:00

More 'firsts' in the pond and garden surrounding - this blog is starting to sound like the Obama household - first iris and first yellow water lily (only only flower on each sadly) and the Philadelphus is in bloom filling the garden with perfume. And for the first time ever, managed to pick some cherries from the tree next to the pond before the birds ate them all.
Y

Watering

2009-05-22T16:14:00.006+02:00

It has not rained now for more than 3 weeks and the temperature is well into the 30s. We are still only in mid May and so I dread what the rest of the summer will be like. Plants that were planted in April are in need of a thorough soaking every week (at least) and I notice that larger specimens are suffering worse than smaller ones. This all goes to support Olivier Filippi's system of plant small; plant in October and only water infrequently but in copious quantities http://www.jardin-sec.com/.
With the hot weather arriving at least one month earlier than usual it is as if I had planted everything a month later and hence more need of water. It is really tiring and stressful having to do all this but I am adamant that I won't have a drip system. Last week the vivaista sent one of her team to hoe around every plant (so that water would soak into to the roots) and to water - took him an entire day but thank goodness I didn't have to do it myself. Praying for rain - but nothing forecast for yet another week.
Y
PS I ought to mention that this winter I planted nearly 1,000 plants so this watering regime plus daily watering of the Bermuda grass is getting to be quite a bore. But let's hope it won't be necessary next year.

Grass report

2009-05-18T16:30:00.003+02:00

The Bermuda grass started to show little green shoots around 8th May so the seed took about 3 weeks to germinate. It needs 20+ degrees plus moist ground so this is most difficult stage. A fine green bloom is covering the seeded area but I am not sure how much of this is due to Bermuda or just the normal grass seeded from the soil that was brought in - a curate's egg.
The temperature has now soared to more than 30 degrees and it has not rained for nearly 3 weeks so watering is becoming a crucial task. I am also having to weed the grass, but life is too short to do very much of this.
Y

Pond life - wonders of nature

2009-05-17T09:21:00.006+02:00

The water lilies are now blooming enthusiastically - the photo shows just one of the five groups of pink lilies. But the yellow waterlily still has yet to put in an appearance, even though it has a lot of leaves.
The first dragonflies have appeared - both the huge blue ones and the little damselflies. I now understand what the prawn-like creatures were that I saw rushing around under the water: these are larvae of dragonfly. The other day they crawled out of the water up the stems of reeds and the the dry husks remain there whilst the dragonfly itself zooms around in the air. Magic.
Y

Pond life - water lily

2009-05-06T10:04:00.001+02:00

First water lily flower to open.
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Pond life - flowers, some more welcome than others

2009-05-04T15:11:00.003+02:00

Just when I thought that I had got rid of all the oak leaves that had blown into the pond during the winter, the trees have started to flower. Yes I know that they have to do that in order to have acorns, but I had no idea that they would be produced in such vast amounts nor that the spring storms would blow tons of them into the pond. Back to work with the fishing net.
But much happier is the first sign of pink buds bobbing above the lily leaves. Hurrah!

Back into the trenches

2009-04-28T08:05:00.002+02:00

I have been corrected - I misread the correspondence on ammonia as a weapon in the War on Terror and I am now going to have a go. Thank you for the advice.
Y

Chinese rose torture

2009-04-27T18:22:00.004+02:00

The first set-back to my China rose trial - the boar have dug up vast tracts of the earth where they are planted and thrown plants everywhere. I hadn't the heart to photograph the disaster zone.
Interestingly, those roses which were planted bare-rooted seem to have stood their ground whereas the ones which came in pots have been dug up completely. I even had to go looking down the end of the garden to find some of them. Of course, the bare-rooted ones may still succumb from root damage but here's hoping. I have replanted them and put lights all around and so on but it is really dispiriting. I had a false dawn today when someone recommended putting ammonia in beakers covered with clingfilm nearby to ward the creatures off - but just now another gardener in the area has confirmed that it doesn't work. Another false dawn.
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Wisteria wow

2009-04-26T07:52:00.003+02:00

Last year I posted a blog 'Wisteria woes' lamenting my inability to get Wisteria to flower. This month for the first time ever a wisteria has burst into flower. The happy specimen is a plant grown from seed by an American friend and given to me as a seedling some years ago. It was supposed to be coloured 'Chinese Pink' but until now I had no idea whether (a) it would come true to seed as Wisteria is difficult to propagate in this way and (b) what colour Chinese Pink was supposed to be. I do not know whether I got a positive answer for (a) and hence whether the colour in the photo is indeed Chinese Pink or something else, but it does seem dinstinctly more pink than other wisterias in the area. I think the abundant winter rains this year have been the key to success - and with other plants which are doing better than usual.
Y