-
Villa Borghese
The Villa Borghese is not so much a villa as it is a giant and beautiful park in Rome. There is of course an actual villa, which in France would be called a chateau and in several other places a palace. Most of the showy planting is around the building in question and behind a wrought iron fence. These pictures have mostly been taken by extending my arm and camera through the bars, setting it for auto focus and hoping for the best. Considering that, I am happy with the result.. It was the perfect time (around May 1st) for seeing the massive plantings of Iris germanica (I’m guessing) in…
You May Also Like
Spring is Approaching
-
Hellebores
One of the first things that brighten up the new season is the Hellebores. Some years, they even brighten up the winter. A few years ago I managed to plant one in January and two years ago one actually flowered on January 25th. That’s not going to happen this year. Before the snow came I did see that some of the Helleborus nigers had a few buds, but then the snow came in spades and now I’m just hoping that they will survive for a few months. I’ve bought most of my Hellebores as plants, but I’ve also managed to raise one plant from seed. They are a bit…
-
What I Also Wanted to Get
Ordering plants from Jürgen Peters yesterday I was also severely tempted to get a nice posse of Auriculas. However, I showed some restraint and I decided to wait another year or so until I could think of a nice place for these showy small plants. A few years ago I explored the student/budget way of getting a nice collection of Auriculas. I bought a packet of seed and raised those plants but they were a bit of a disappointment. Out of the packet that was supposed to give a fairly diverse collection of Auriculas, all of the plants looked more or less like the ones I snapped below. Primula Auricula-hybrids:…
You May Also Like
The Danger of Free Time
-
The Danger of Free Time
Having the flu and having time off this time of the year means a certain danger of succumbing to on-line shopping. I’m not talking about clothes shopping, though some of my friends would probably assume otherwise, but seed and plant shopping. For the first time in a few years I’ve had time to read seed catalogues thoroughly and also time to browse some old favourite suppliers. I usually make some purchases together with my mother (my main garden influencer) and then I’ve participated in large co-orders that some gardening societies make. The Finnish Rhododendron Society usually orders from some large suppliers every year, I’ve participated a few times, though…
-
I’m Hoping to Grow
From left to right, top row: Antirrhinum ‘Opus Plum Blossom’ (PoD), Thunbergia alata ‘African Sunset’ (PoD), Thunbergia alata ‘Blushing Susie’ (T&M), Thunbergia alata ‘African Sunset’ (T&M), Antirrhinum ‘Cinnamon Bronze’ (PoD). Middle, left to right: Maurandya ‘Bridal Bouquet’ (PW), Aquilegia ‘Green Apples’ (PW), Cobaea scandens var. alba (PoD), Digitalis lanata ‘Cafe Creme’ (PoD). Bottom row, from left to right: Aquilegia ‘Black Barlow’ (PW), Meconopsis wallichii (PW), Meconopsis betonicifolia ‘Alba’ (PW), Cosmos ‘Collarette White’ (PoD) and Asarina procumbens (PW). Pictures form the supplier’s pages. I was thinking of renewing my aquilegias a bit, I love them and they are easy to raise, but unfortunately they are quite short lived. I’m thinking of getting at…
You May Also Like
The Danger of Free Time
