Our guest arrives at Casa Debbio soon for her 3 month stay. It is difficult to say goodbye to the garden but I know it will be OK in Filippo’s capable hands. I will be back in autumn to see how it has survived the summer.
This spring has not been kind to the garden. It has been cooler than usual after a warm start. At least we have had good rain after the last 2 years of drought. Most of my peonies are still to bloom. The ones that have opened have been attacked by bugs. I hope they all survive.
Here is what has been happening in the garden this spring.
These were the last daffodils to come up.
Daffodils offer some great colour in early spring.
The weeping cherry tree was pink for a couple of weeks.
Hellebores have been excellent this year. They are spreading under the chestnut trees and a cherry tree.
Tree peonies bloom in early spring.
The herbaceous peonies are just beginning to open now.
These are the bugs that are ruining my peonies. They are around every year, but this year there are huge numbers of them. The burrow into some of the buds and destroy them before they are open. In others they attack as soon as the flower is open and ruin them within a day or two. Other flowers are left completely alone. I hate the miserable little critters!
Our dry stone wall that was built last year is coming to life. Some plants, mostly alyssum, have come back. I think it will look good when we get some warm weather.
Wisteria bloomed and began to fade.
We have artichokes this year.
Acanthus flowers are popping up.
The low plant at the back of the house is thriving, along with the aquilegias mixed in with it.
Lavender flowers are poking up.
Little clumps of wild flowers grow on the old walls and the side of the hills.
An iris I planted a while ago shot up beside a tree peony. It is about a metre tall.
There will be figs this summer.
…and mulberries. We also have apples, pears, quince, pomegranate, persimmons, olives, cherries, almonds, plums, raspberries (deer have just eaten the tops off the plants) a blueberry plant, gooseberry, kiwi, tomatoes and wild walnut, hazelnut and chestnut trees.
We have planted the old bed on one of the terraces above the house with vinca ((periwinkles). It doesn’t look much now, but when it grows we should have a green cover with blue flowers like what is growing under trees on the edge of the property.
I am also digging up bits of vinca and planting them in gaps in the gardens on the side of some of the terraces.
We are trying to get grass to grow on the driveway up to the house and on a terrace below with some success.
These are the last photos I took before leaving the house.
People ask how I can leave the garden when it is looking its best, but for me the fun is watching it come to life after winter. I like to get it to this stage and let someone else enjoy it. I know it will be looked after and I will get to see it all again in autumn and see which plantings have been successful. Autumn is also a lovely time in the garden with falling leaves and fading plants.