…where I am staying for a few days (at a friend’s stunning collection of big farmed ocean view terraces accommodating a variety of little white houses dating from the 1600’s that have been in the family for generations, where she is now hosting a casual residency program for young cooks, farmers, and artists) on the ..
Tag : gardens
…in a big barrel was my solution to the daily rearranging of my moss gardens by the big birds who rule the skies up here on the Gianicolo – so into the huge sideways olive cask went all of the mossy rocks that would fit, then filled with water, spilling into a lush mini landscape ..
…in shades from white to pink are popping and promising spring in the ba..
…is something I started messing around with a few months ago (featuring a miniature landscape of tufa rocks and scavenged blocks covered with pieces of moss varieties gathered on daily walks) on the part of the roof where water stands after rains or plant-watering and in today’s morning light it is looking picturesque out my studio ..
…took place this morning in grand style with freshly cut dusty green leaved olive branches covering much of the ground after the garden crew had come through to trim each tree back into a classic hollow bowl-shape which allows more light into the center of the tree. (more on pruning and more on ..
…from the Roman Rooftop Homestead is very good indeed, with the happy plants beginning to climb up the pea-stake branches that were just installed for them, and today I notice the first peapods hiding in the bright green foliage, and then, as often happens when first discovering something, you begin to realize it is e..
…where the equestrian events of the 1960 Roman Olympiad were held and where occasional equestrian events are still staged today within the public park and gardens of Villa Borghese – where I find myself this morning on my way to see a conversation / presentation /poetry reading on 86 year old Italian artist Carla Accardi ..
…is a term that has been around since at least the 1970’s, so it was with some surprise when we heard the press swirling with stories about a kooky homesteading clan who actually went through the trouble to trademark it (I was equally surprised to discover that they had purchased the domain name edibleestates.com a ..
…there’s nothing quite like it to make you appreciate the little things again (you know, like being able to walk across the room at more than a shuffle, and feeling like you might be around next week, and morning coffee, and actually eating food, and going outside, and sleeping, and stuff like that) – and ..
…and their happy healthy plant residents enjoying this afternoon’s sun, are visible out the window as I shuffle around in my dim influenza delerium, at least encouraged to know that they are out and enjoying th..
…are popping up in back – a late-mid-winter color boost – but I’m hearing from the gardeners that the mice usually get to the almonds well before they are ready for t..
…or ‘black cabbage’ (a loose-leaf Italian cabbage, or kale) has been on our plates almost every day this winter, and today will be no exception, as I harvest the lastest tangy dark leafy green bounty from the back garden where I help out Wednesday mornings when I can – and ‘cavalo’ is an extra expressive ..
…from the Roman rooftop garden is good – and though some are still looking small and scrappy after months in the ground, growing very slowly with the cool temperatures and little light available to them in the winter – others are looking more robust and ready to eat, and I am realizing that my extreme ..
…or grotta in Italian, following up on yesterday’s thoughts on rustication, is another example of the thrilling primitive architectural underbelly of the Florentine Renaissance – today seen at Grotta del Buontalenti, one of the most famous examples, but sadly without all of the dripping water and cool spongy green-stuff to be found in the really ..
…or nettles, are to be found all over the streets of Rome, coming up from any unattended space between stones, they sting (a fact I am sure every Roman child learns early on with a warning from a parent – since it is the first thing that all of my Italian friends say about them: ..
…were the impromptu focus of the day as I discovered the great abundance of gorgeous moss (the most exotic sort of vegetation to the eyes of an eleven year Angeleno), in all shades of green, growing all over everything during my daily exploratory walk to see what’s up in the back garden and upon returning ..
…or Vicia faba, are keeping my rooftop garden spring-like in the middle of a Roman winter – and since I have never grown them before, it is all new to me – like the fact that they are often used as a cover crop, excel at fixing nitrogen in the soil, grow to become 2-6 ..
…the fragrant yellow Mimosa tree native to Australia whose clouds of clustered of bright yellow pom-pom flowers are the first sign of spring in the Italian landscape, is already in full bloom out in the back garden – probably since it is protected in a warm little micro-climate by the massive Aurelian Wall that surrounds ..
…is the surprising legacy of the potato plants that were cut down by the one night of frost up on the roof last week – and as I am back in the happy business of gardening in the sun, moving dirt, emptying the pots of ill-fated wild transplants, moving salad starts into bigger flats, transplanting ..
…is the hidden public park just around the corner which I have escaped to this morning – with sun shining and flu waning – named for the villa at it’s center, originally established in 1653 by Cardinal Antonio Barberini as a farm estate – which was then ultimately given to Benito Musolini with the proviso ..
Recent Comments