Wisteria

At last my first wisteria is performing beautifully.   It’s huge, the flowers are almost half a metre long.  Waiting has never been my strong point but it’s true good things do come eventually.

The other one I have, a slightly more pink shade with smaller blossom is always a week or two behind which is good as it prolongs the season.  

I think we can say winter is definitely over as the first tomatoes are in the ground, only 4 but many more waiting to be planted out.   Even the weather is on our side. We had a week of heat, yesterday a day of rain, today the sun is back.  Now it takes me and Grigio quite a while to complete our daily inspection of garden growth, we can barely keep up.

That’s more like it

We are back on track after some cool weather and dreary days. Today it was 18 degrees, wall to wall sunshine, we are all so happy, humans and cats have been outside all day.

Yesterday we bought our vegetable plants at the local agricultural shop.  Two types of tomatoes and yellow peppers, we are also growing from seed cherry tomatoes and red peppers.  We got cucumbers, aubergines, radishes, basil and more courgettes as the old seeds we used didn’t all germinate,  that’s a good start.  I also picked up a couple of replacement dipeldenia for my summer pots but when I went to plant them the ones I thought had died are showing signs of life.  In fact everything seems to have survived, both in the ground and in pots, what was considered quite a hard winter except maybe my bougainvillea.  I know we’re a bit too high to grow them,  I’ve lost plants before but I haven’t give up on this one yet I’ll just keep waiting.  Today I’ve been planting and arranging pots with the replacements and various geranium cuttings I took a few weeks ago, just my kind of day.

Mr FF has been working on the upgraded solar shower, he assures me it will be a new improved model, functionally if not aesthetically, and soon ready for use, the modesty screen will take a little longer.   And yes there was a rip in the shirt he was wearing, it’s out of sight but one sleeve is coming away from the body, I’ll bet it goes into the next wash for further use, a man who constructed a solar shower from old bits and pieces wont throw away a shirt like that.

Finally the wisteria has decided it’s time to bloom, not completely out yet but getting there.  The orchard wild flowers are coming too, mostly cow parsley, buttercups and sweet peas at present but lots to happen, Grigio and I sometimes walk round twice a day spotting new treasures.    The wild orchid is out, this isn’t a great photo but it’s the best I can do with the iPad.  

And best of all Giovanni and Milena our lovely neighbours are back from Rome, they called to say hello dressed in warm coats and were surprised to see me in a sleeveless t shirt,  cropped trousers and flip flops. It really feels like the long lonely winter is over, I’m washing our winter clothes to pack away, I’m looking forward to seeing our neighbours lights up above us in the evening instead of being surrounded by darkness and empty space, and to hearing them chatting in the day time.  I’m looking forward but no longer wishing the time away.

Positivity is back thank you sun.

Wild flowers

So far this year touch wood my garden has been porcupine free. Two years ago I was furious when my white irises were eaten before they could bloom, this year I have a lovely display which may have something to do with all the new growth after the porcupine pruning. 

Really they are wild flowers, a few white ones are flowering on the bank opposite our house and I’ve seen dark purple ones when we’ve been walking. I’ve also seen a lot of tubers that have been grubbed up and half eaten so any that survived have done well.   I’ve moved a few non flowering clumps from my border into the orchard, hopefully they will live or at worst distract the porcupine from the cultivated beds.

This is my current favourite orchard flower, it’d a wild orchid that I’ve been watching for several weeks, there are two the another not yet showing it’s flower.  I’m sorry the photograph is not very good, I’ll try again when it’s in full bloom.

I’ve also found a large self seeded cyclamen that is doing well.  I resist the temptation to move these plants into the cultivated garden, they seem happy enough.  

I’ve thrown down in the orchard a couple of packets of assorted wild flower seeds with some marigold and nasturtium seeds saved from last year and it’s rained.  I’ll hope for the best.  The orchard has a lot of wild flowers already, all the usual weeds plus plants we don’t consider wild, pot marigolds, sweet peas, fennel, mint, hellebore, honesty.  I like them doing their own thing, it confirms what I learnt last year when we weren’t here for 8 months, the garden does fine without us.  Of course that isn’t going to stop me gardening.

Finally a totally unrelated picture of my French lavender, it’s keeping the bees fully occupied, Mr FF says to the detriment of his broad beans which are actually set.  Good old nature.

Spring is certainly in the air

We are having the most gorgeous weather, temperatures in the high teens but feeling warmer,  blue skies, no frost. This has caused me to garden furiously, tidying, cutting back shrubs which I should probably leave alone for now, moving pots out of their sheltered positions,  sowing seeds, ruining my hands.  I am sleeping like a log and having a great time.

I’m not the only one with spring fever.  A cat has been calling round, one we’ve seen before and thought was a male, it’s quite large and in good condition.   From the day long howling and Enrico’s reaction we thought we got that wrong and it must be female.  Friday night Enrico slept out, which he does sometimes, but was around during the next day joining in the continuing cats chorus.  Grigio was quite put out as were we, it just went on and on.  Saturday night Enrico slept out again, Sunday we didn’t see him at all and were starting to worry,   He returned Monday evening and slept a lot.

The visiting vocal cat called again on Tuesday afternoon but Enrico wasn’t interested and it took off down the road  Then Mr FF reported that a cat had sprayed at the entrance to his grotto, he works with the garage door open.   The dust sheet over the table, covering amongst many things the spare bags of cat biscuits had been disturbed and on further investigation he found a packet of food had been torn open and biscuits were scattered around.   It is a male so why is it pestering another male although not aggressively and a neutered female who is bewildered, why doesn’t Enrico see it off, the Italian cat world is a mystery to us. 

Back to the garden.  This is the first time I’ve really experienced spring and I’m very pleased.   I’m not sure I want to spend another winter here but I’d be happy to be back from now onwards to enjoy watching my plants spring into life.  Plenty of buds about to burst, the apricot and plum trees will be flowering soon, perennials are emerging, the ants and lizards are about, it really is quite special.  On Monday I was wearing a short sleeved t shirt to potter around. Four men came into our road to take down some trees above the olives, all wearing big jackets, hats and gloves.  Even though they were working hard bringing the wood down the hillside they remained fully clothed. I bet they thought I was the crazy one with my bare arms but I hope they also thought I have a very nice garden.

Come into the garden

I managed to take a few snaps of our lovely communal lake garden, which I am now calling the duck garden as we have a good colony of mallards and at least one muscovy.

The garden sits beautifully between our home and the edge of the moor, the building on the right across the road is an old pump house that has been converted into a house.

It really is a lovely facility to have, lots of daffodils and primroses, lovely mature trees, gentle waterfalls and the promise of woodland flowers to come.  I am hoping there will be ducklings too, eggs are laid between March and July in well concealed nests, hatching takes place after 28 days.  
No wonder I'm not missing my own patch with all this well tended space around me and I still have to show you the roof garden.

Autumn appreciation

So the engineer continues to slave away in Lazio.  The last I heard he had bent down to pick something up and smacked his mouth on the handle of the cement mixer.  He told me his teeth were OK and his lips only bleeding a little bit now.   
Meanwhile I have been a bit more relaxed.  I've spent happy days gardening, decluttering, dorissing, reading, knitting and generally pampering myself, or as Mr FF would collectively describe such activities wasting time.

As a working girl I dreaded the onset of winter weather and my dark drive to and from town.  Now its all different and this autumn has been spectacular. 

The first week I was home was wonderfully dry and I caught up with a lot of weeding, since then it has been damp but with sunny days, bracing winds and still no frost. My summer pots remain outside so far and I am still harvesting broad beans.

I am really appreciating the season, glorious colours, plenty of pretty leaves underfoot,  

that I'm busy collecting for the compost bins.  This is just how autumn should be and I'm liking it even though it means my feet are ensconced in hand knitted socks for the foreseeable . 

What's not to like

Unless you are the maintenance manager that is. 
The weather back in Scotland has been fantastic and better than Italy in some ways as here we have the benefit of long hours of daylight, I don't even get to burn any outside candles in the evening as there is absolutely no need.  

view from the back door

I am loving having the doors and windows are open wide, I live in shorts and t shirts and of course the flip flops get a good Scottish airing.   The garden is happy too and so far not distressed by lack of rain.  I've noticed our water pressure goes down in the evening, in fact it went off completely for half an hour or so the other day, must be lots of panic watering going on.  
However Mr FF has been rather busy, hot and dusty.  He's been cleaning off the paving slabs on the patio, re-levelling some that have gone out of kilter and re-grouting.  I have to say it looks fantastic, I am delighted and even more so now the outdoor furniture and a few pots of plants can go back to their rightful places.  

On the front balcony we've had some of the handrail replaced, this was quite a job not just as the poor carpenter was working in full sun for most of the day, unlike me isn't of the sun loving lizard persuasion, but it was technically challenging to fit all existing posts into the new top rail. Fortunately, Andrew was good natured and conscientious, I kept him hydrated with tea and lent him a hat, the job is finished.  

On Monday the painter arrives for two weeks to redecorate the whole of the outside of the house including the new rail.  

We are going to look amazing, if temperatures continue in the high 20s will I want to get back on the plane to Rome next month, at least I have time to think about that and keep checking the forecast.  

Scary weekend

Some husbands might plan a weekend away or something special for the bank holiday weekend, not Mr FF he arranged to hire a conservatory ladder and has spent two days working on the ridge above the glass roof. The ladder goes up the side of the structure and then lies along the glass, the husband sort of leans along the ladder to reach the top of the roof.

 

Mr FF is a qualified structural engineer, he knows about health and safety, loadings and stress (except mine), he even hired props to put inside the conservatory as extra support to the roof while he was working, but I really didn't like it.   He had to drill and rivet and silicone, I spent my weekend holding the ladder and passing up various pieces of equipment in a plastic bag that he hooked up using a long piece of wood with a nail on the end.   Basically I had to hang around being available, I couldn't even hide away in darkened room and pretend it wasn't happening.

Anyway its all done now, repairs have been made and the equipment is going back on Tuesday, huge sigh of relief, I hope I never have to see it again.  Meantime the Scottish garden is looking lovely in a springlike way, lets concentrate on that and be glad my anxiety is diminishing.

Italian gardening

Our Italian garden was looking gorgeous when we arrived in Lazio as was the surrounding countryside with lots of trees in full blossom and wild flowers everywhere.  For the first time I discovered that our two wisteria plants are different colours, a pink and a blue. I must have only seen one in blossom before and I'd never realised that they have such a wonderful perfume.  Italian friends will tell you they give you a headache, I'll take the risk.

Out came the cement mixer as Mr F pressed on with the external landscaping, before we left he moved these two large and heavy troughs into position and I sowed a selection of annuals that I hope to enjoy when we return. 

It's a pleasure to garden in Italy especially after such a miserable winter in Scotland, you can practically see things growing in the wonderful climate,  it all happens so quickly.  I moved the 12 tomato plants that we bought for 2 euro into larger pots and left them already flowering outside.  Mr FF rigged up some support and an irrigation system for them and the other pot plants that we left on the lower shelf, we've crossed our fingers they'll be OK and the pipe won't blow off or some other disaster occur.

He also finished crazy paving the area outside out back door, a big improvement.  He hated doing it but our friendly village tiler/plasterer wasn't available and we wanted to leave the place reasonably tidy. 
It was a shock to come back to Scotland and find our trees still without leaves and a generally brown and bare garden after so much colour, but at least I didn't miss the daffodils and if it stays as cold as it is now they are going to last well.  You have to look at the positives.

I'll miss you but not that much

Although its been very cold it has been exceptionally dry so I have managed to get out into the garden for tidying and cutting back while Mr FF has taken down a few trees to let more light in and provide fuel for the stove.   We still have snow on the ground and the wind continues to be icy which means this year everything is delayed.  

My hellebores have done their best but took quite a battering, freezing under the snow and only now recovering.  They are so gorgeous and exotic, some of my favourite flowers.
Lots of plants standing by for action, plenty of buds and I imagine that when the flowers do appear so will the warmer weather and they won't last long.  And of course we are off to Italy in a few days,  I'm going to miss everything, including the daffodils

 and the erythronium, pink yellow and blue

primula denticulata, the drumstick primrose, I love those too

In the conservatory my orchids are set to flower, one stem open and half a dozen more to come on this plant

But the forecast in our part of Lazio by next Saturday is for temperatures of 20 degrees.   Now that's a tough choice, spring bulbs or sunshine, maybe I'll just shut up and go paint my toe nails for the first time this year.

Packing dot com

Yes, we are off to Italy again.  Packing a small carry on case to last me three weeks, trying to include more going out clothes and less work wear as we have no big project planned for this visit.  Sock yarn is selected, paperbacks picked.

 Meantime, I've been working really hard in my Scottish garden, I have to say it's looking the best I've ever seen it so I'm a little reluctant to miss the spring activity but then I'm wondering about the sunflower and herb seeds I planted in Lazio.   I did think I would l grow less this year in Scotland but it seemed wrong to leave the veggie patch empty so I have planted potatoes, beans and peas, and what would a garden be without sweet peas, then there are the herbs and hanging baskets.  

The automatic watering system is set in the greenhouse, I got drenched this morning checking that all the pots were getting a drink.   

I always say I'll try to keep in touch, I will, I really will.

So Sarah Ravens

I am such a huge fan of Sarah Ravens to the extent that sometimes I like to imagine I am her. So when Lyn said she was going to share her SR calendar with us every month that really wasn't enough for me, I had to have my own copy. There was a sale on Sarah's website so I got myself a calendar, currently hanging in the utility room and a diary, which would be really useful if I wasn't planning not to grow so much this year as we will be spending the summer in Italy.I also found this Amaryllis Sumatra on offer just right for growing in my vase and some hyacinth Woodstock greatly reduced, not the ones in the picture those I prepared earlier. And just in case you think I'm a complete spender, here is the Christmas cactus that was a cutting I took more than 30 years ago, still flowering every year, still gorgeous, Sarah would be so proud of me.

Garden inspiration

In the week Mr FF and I travelled down to Penrith, he for meetings me for a trip out. We spent some time at the lovely Larch Cottage Nurseries, a place that used to be a regular coffee stop for us until we discovered the delights of a proper truckers cafe that we've been using for the last few years. Anyway we decided to renew our acquaintance, the place had changed quite a lot since our last visit and was as ever absolutely delightful.It really is an inspirational place, full of little secret areas, lots of statuary, this massive fountain made me smile, plants, pots and a lovely cafe where we sat looking out on to the immaculately kept landscaped grounds. Mr FF took a liking to the alligator/crocodile you can see peeking round the end of the bridge till I told him it was almost £3,000. I did quite a lot of sighing and wishing my own garden was more to this standard, though when I got home I was pleased to realise that it is very interesting and well stocked, just not so many ornaments. Even better stocked now because I had a good rummage in the bargain bucket and got all these plants for 50p each.