Friday, May 29, 2009

leave the fragrance to your immagination


My roses lived in pots. They recieved a great deal of attention but the discomfort in their "root prison" was undeniable.
Now they all live in Crops in a Castle with their roots free to wiggle around and stretch into the soil.
This one has found the perfect home. Mostly sun, part shade, surrounded by Giant Ornamental Garlic and a sphere of lavender that travelled with us all the way from Provence when it was a little over a stem.
These two companions, along with some "perfect pruning" (mine) tunned her into the healthy plant she is today.
The aphids did obviously try to tackle her but some home made nettle spray did the trick.
Some hand picking the larva and beetles off the plants on a daily basis also determined the success of my pest protest!

As for the other Roses.
- a climber ended up in a waterlogged spot and succumbed before we had time to notice and save it.
- another lovely English rose lacked attention and underwent "pitiful pruning" (mine alas) and will hopefully recover with some love and care.
- a miniature rose is doing great this year right beside a Santolina and a Calendula that are, I discover hands on, a lot better than the garlic and lavender in keeping the aphids away. There is a bit of fungus on the rose, but not as bad as the previous years.
- last but not least, a rose that has been surviving rather than living in a pot for years is now looking lush and luxurious with its rich foliage and hopefully will bloom soon so I can share her with you all.

Remember to prune during the blooming period to keep the roses healthy. Remove 4/5 leaves below the bloom at an outward facing leaf. If you let your roses go by mid summer they will look like a stork trying to piggy back a rhinoceros.
Take care all....

P.S I'm back in Milan for the Long weekend. We celebrate our Republic on Tuesday here in Italy, or whatever is left of it!

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

35°C




The temperature has sky rocketed and the garden has turned into a Burning Bazar...

Weird Creatures are Lurking in the Leaves.
Tiny Plants have turned into Towers.
Fungus and Mold are having a Ball.
Aphids are Appetizing on the Apple trees.

Every morning I set off to water the garden and tackle a bit of maintanence when BAM!
I see something new... something scary.... something crawling
I then run out of the garden, across the town, into the house, no wait, take off your dirty shoes, into the house, up the stairs.... at the computer... no wait... hands full of dirt... wash your hands... back to the computer... search: Images, symptoms, causes, natural remedies...
Back and forth a million times a day these days!

All this under 35°C.

I think my neighour Peppe thinks I'm completely nuts.

I just wasn't prepared.

I will share some tips I've learned to save you from my mistakes..

1. I was seeing little yellow eggs on my string beans.... yuck.... I thought.... squash.... I went.... then I got a doubt... researched and discovered that they were Ladybug eggs.
Look up what the ladybug larve look like (nothing pretting) cuz I was killing those too! Shame.

2. Pole all beans, peas and string beans even if they are shrubs. They will need the support. If not they will slump onto the ground and develope mold. Very invasive. I learned the very hard way. Losing most of my potential peas.

3. Companion Planting: I planted basil close to a funky nettle forest. The basil stayed 1 inch high and unhealthy until we clipped off the nettle. It is growing fine now. The nettle is hanging to dry in the cellar for a wonderful winter tea.

4. Sow what you need. Not a seed more. We have a terrace invaded with plants in tiny pots that need a lot of attention. We don't have space for them all in the vegetable garden and we don't have the heart to throw them out so we are handing out trays to all those who are interesed. And yet there are still lots. Anyone in the Umbria region interested?

5. Only plant certified potatoes. How many times have you read that? Yeah me too. I planted all certified and one store bought cuz it was soooo good. Guess what? We've got potato blight also from that one nasty potato.



That's all for todays tips. One more success picture to cheer us up!
Take care all...



Saturday, May 16, 2009

pretty leaves on pink marble benches


Nadia, you would have had a great time with me today in Milan.
The thing is that Nadia (my zia/ aunt) and I love to walk.
It would be very hard to catch us on a beach sunbathing but you can bet we'll hike you through the most beautiful sites of any city with a broad smile on our face!

This morning I crossed the city of Milan to reach the tiny but stunning Guastalla Gardens.
It was a two hour walk there and another two back but there are so many pedestrian areas in Milan that you enjoy the surroundings without the noise and traffic.

The Gardens were worth the walk. It is mostly a tree garden. Large impressive and unusual trees stand out on the tidy lawn.
When you have a small garden at home you could never dream of planting trees that become this big.
The impression you get in Guastalla is of protection.
It is like being in the presence of kind giants.
And those giants are made of millions of tiny and pretty leaves I want to share with you.




Two more details of the Gardens and then I am off to see the documentary
Terra Madre directed by Ermanno Olmi.



Take care all, have a nice week end.



Friday, May 15, 2009

Milan


mmmmmm.....
I took a long walk under the rain. 4 km to reach the Botanic Garden in Brera Street.
A fascinating messy garden secluded behind high walls and under the shade of tall pine trees.
The Garden has been there as it is since 1774 but there is written proof of its existence back in 1100... wow. It was a pleasant visit. It rained the entire time, misty rain, the kind that keeps you company. The gardener wasn't there this afternoon but a kind lady named Gabriella who takes care of the paperwork told me all about the place. I think they had about 15 different kinds of sage, some of them HUGE. On the other hand I found a flower that is stunning and that I have to look in to. It's the pink one in the picture: filpendula dentata.... they say but I'm not really that sure.

I got to the Botanic Garden just 10 minutes before closing time so I ended up roaming around this beautiful city without a real destination.

I bumped into this...


Can you guess what it is? Yes, a sculpture but what does it represent? Does this picture help?



Thread and Needle. The knot pops up on the other side of the street in a fountain!
It is in front of the Cadorna Station Colonnade where a bike sharing station stands out in its bright yellow! It was rush hour when I got there and soooo many people were handing back the bikes they went to work with after they got into the city with the train. It is so nice to see something that works in this country!





The walk continued and it was a real achievement to resist this ice cream parlor... I will come with Massimo tomorrow, eating one of these is an experience that has to be shared.


One last thing, Lega Nord's election poster. It states:
"They underwent immigration and now they live in reserves"
Oh intolerance. I guess no city can be perfect but this poster is absurd!



Thursday, May 14, 2009

From Milan



I feel at home in Milan. It is the only large City besides Toronto where this occurs.
Massimo is working here until the end of June so I came up to visit for his birthday and I will stick around for a week or so.
There was so much happening to my Crops that it was hard to leave.
I can hardly imagine what it will look like in a week with all the growing and bearing and blooming that is going on right now!

While I'm here I hope to post a story or two.
The first is the before and after of the Crops in a Castle entrance.

Before


What we had to face:
- the columns had partially collapsed
- there was a very high step between the outside and the inside
- this is the shadiest part of the garden but the space for plants was not delimited
- the gate was to be replaced

That is a lot for one person in one weekend so we spread it out into many tiny and pleasant weekend projects that may give you inspiration also.

The Columns




The Steps




The Gate Massimo made and the Flowerbeds





That's me covered with cement and content in the pictures above.
The sense of accomplishment actually building something permanent conveys makes you radiant inside and it shows on the outside too.
I have always taken tasks very seriously but none have given me the happiness these sturdy results of my efforts have granted me with.

Now I'm off to see a movie in the City!
See you on the next post.