The Journal of a Gardener in Tuscany

Articles - News - Ideas and more

The Journal of a Gardener in Tuscany - April 2004 Part 2

Author: Rupert Mayhew

April 24th 2004

This week we have made the garden ready for the busy tourist
season, with just a few minor jobs, such as the new Lemon tree,
left to go. La Doccia is full now for the first time this year.
While every day this week I came back from my language course in
Florence, arrived at La Doccia and found my Father pottering
around with another car load of new plants from the Vivaio at
Rosano.

Four types of Lavender were planted, all lavender attracts bees
and butterflies, and with about 12 each of four different types
of Lavender we should attract an eclectic mix of bees and
butterflies. Lavandula stoechas is one type and already it is
producing purple trumpet-like flowers across the front rose beds
and the scent of Lavender is everywhere, especially on the rose
bed along the terrace. This Rose bed lines the main terrace and
fills the gaps from the Lavender we removed last Autumn and
replanted in more shrubby flower beds. They grew a little too
large so needed a more permanent position. The Lavender buying
spree since has led to about 50 plants; this should keep the
bees happy, and with some luck one might find the bee home I set
up for them in the herbaceous border. This was surprisingly
vacant when I checked on Tuesday and the banking business cards
I used to create a split look dry and unused. The bees have yet
to discover this palace waiting for them.

What is more, the bird feeder my Mother and I hung from a walnut
tree on a snowy February afternoon is still untouched, this must
be a record for failure in birdfeeders. I’d like to think I can
change the food to solve the problem but the truth is I haven’t
seen a single bird even approach the feeder let alone turning up
their nose at the food we offer.

I will remove the bird feeder to a new spot if I have no luck.
Needless to say the two birdboxes are empty as well. The birds
are here, we know that as we hear them all the time. But the
accommodation appears to be unsatisfactory, My Father’s generous
advice of putting up ‘To Let’ signs next to the birdhouses were
noted but I don’t think this will really help the situation. I
could move them but as I’m in England next week I could also buy
several more and then at least one should be filled with an
adventurous bird in time. In the meantime I feel like blaming
everyone and anyone, perhaps this is as they are too close to
the house? Or the dogs are scaring the birds off? or general
human activity, ie the strolling up and down the garden of us
and our guests? Or my whistling as I pot another plant?

After a thunderstorm I replanted 31 roses from a flowerbed too
shaded for them to flourish. After three years they have
produced a paltry collection of flowers and they went into the
new flowerbed Antonio built outside Larissa as well as some into
a Wine Pot and the bed over Antonio’s wall. They will receive
more sun here and have more space to grow into. The Roses look
well but without the lawnmower the lawn looks like a meadow; all
we need are a couple of cows with large bells round their neck.

April Showers and… April Showers

April 17th 2004

‘Brings forth May flowers’ so the saying goes, I am looking
forward to the May flowers for sure, with this rain the flowers
should be visible from outer space. And gardening in heavy rain
is not such an easy activity either. That said once you are
outside it isn’t so bad, it’s the going out and coming in that
is difficult, and the Labrador doesn’t mind, so long as she has
a plastic flower pot to launch a frenzied attack on.

The lawn is looking a delicate soft green and growing fast, a
mix of clover, grass, and newly planted grass is appearing too
in what is excellent grass growing conditions. Grass grows so
long as it is 43°F (6°C) or above and it likes damp wet
conditions, which sums up the last two months well. It was a
pity the lawnmower decided to die on me yesterday, now was to be
its moment of glory, of total dominion over the garden, instead
it is taking a break at the local Lawnmower Hospital. Strimmers
are more popular in Italy and traditionally you wait until there
are wild flowers everywhere before spending a morning ‘Cleaning’
the land, or cutting back everything pretty until lunchtime
calls.

The new Azalea bed was completed this week, full of Azaleas and
Rhododendrums in the special north facing flowerbed, (with slow
drainage and acidic soil it should mimic the conditions Azaleas
like in the wild as well as anywhere in Tuscany). All our
temporary plastic greenhouses are clear of pot plants and to
celebrate their freedom one of the two plastic greenhouses
decided to fly off into the orchard during the storm last night.
It is now caught up in the wild roses below, a hazardous place
to go to without a strong scythe. I pinned the other one down
with more stones, this one has my Rosemary cuttings for the new
Rosemary hedge to go along the lawn at Francesca so is
especially important. I planted the Rosemary hedge this week
with 12 plants, along with hopefully 16 cuttings, assuming I
lose only half of my cuttings, is this a fair percentage? I have
absolutely no idea and would appreciate any feedback on what to
expect. What I don’t want to happen is for Lombardo to strim the
hedge before it grows to size, so I’ll have a word with him in
broken Italian tomorrow.

The Arno and Sieve rivers are flowing faster than I have ever
seen, their levels are so high that in Florence today people
were standing on the bridges just watching the huge amounts of
flotsam flowing to the sea. The heavy rain has filled many
aquifers and will hopefully ensure there is no repeat of last
year when it was so dry the wine and olive harvest were badly
down everywhere. That said, the key months here are May to
August, this is when periods without rain, like we had last
year, are most needed. Two months without rain is hard
everywhere and this year everyone is waiting to see how the
weather turns out and whether we’ll have a better year.

About the author:
Rupert Mayhew recently moved to Tuscany, Italy, from a career in
IT in London. He works in and runs an expanding agriturismo and
this new role includes the task of creating a garden out of what
is now mountainside. http://www.ladocciawelcomes .com.
rmayhew@pemba-adventures.com