Souvenir D'Italie

Some recent pics taken around Reggio Emilia and Milan...

 an unusually sweet scented Cammelia in pale shell pink

 Pink Cammelia in stone tub

 a terrace in Reggio

 The Tea Rose florist in Milan

The sweetest smelling violets offered by a most elegant and gentle friend... 

Blooming rewards

Dear friends,

Two month ago, I was strolling back home one evening and just passed by a garbage dump where somebody ( probably someone who moved out) just deposited a whole load of plants. There were some big Scheffleras and a chopped huge Yucca :-(  and many other smaller plants thrown away on a heap!
Since I felt quite sorry about all these poor plants, I started looking for something I could possibly save. No question about caring home a huge yucca alone, but at a second and eve a third glance... there it was: a quite big Dendrobium Orchid!!!

It didn't look like much at first - orchids never do when they are not in bloom, but it looked like it was full of tiny little flower buds. I obviously took it with me and one and a half month later I got a wonderful reward!!!

 I guess, at this stage, it has earned itself a very good place in my home. We call it "Trovatello" alias the Foundling. And now I have lo learn how to care for it, since I'm not very good with orchids...

 Let me know if you have any tips and tricks for growing Dendrobiums or if you ever had experiences with rescued plants.

Christmas Preparations

Materials  Old lampshade, moss, ribbon, Christmas decorations

Tree encounter

Last week strolling around the city I found this beautiful, still small, blooming Bauhinia or Orchid tree...
Such a welcome change among the sempiternal maples and purple plum trees! 

  

Autumn Abundance

Just check the size of these onions...seen the other day in Barcelona! The ones besides, are not cherry tomatoes.

Why Don't You: Trellis Ideas

Old ladders make great trellises
for beans and other climbers. ( wish I'd have one...)
Anchor it well into the ground and paint it in a matching/contrasting colour for an extra zest!

Have You ever thought about discarding a broken patio umbrella? Well, why don't you
remove the fabric, bury the handle (make sure it's well fixed)
in the ground and use it for a trellis.
Wonderful for small climbing roses and clematis. Watch out not to use it for heavy climbers!
I guess, Wisteria and Golden Trumpets are not really a good choice.
A small type of Lonicera or Morning Glory could work too.

Rusty old brass or iron headboards
make wonderful garden trellises. So next time you stroll at a neighbouring brocante, keep your eyes open.

All images are not mine and are found on Pinterest

What's blooming now: Iris Deltoides

Hi friends,

This is a terribly busy month so my posts are really very skinny, but here are some not very good pictures of a lovely Iris Deltoides that re bloomed after 3 years of self imposed pause...

Ok, after re potting it during the last house move, one of my cats elected it as her favourite cat grass... Yes, cat brains work in a mysterious way... so my poor Iris was reduced to a dry stump.

Now it has regained some strength in a large pot shared with a Pennisetum and some fire red  Crocosmias.

Delicate, porcelain white blooms with a painted yellow and purple accent.
Stems and leaves are very upright and