Leaving Panicale last year right as Spring was popping just killed me. I'm a long time gardening gal, and seeing all the flowering trees and wisteria budded and ready to explode, it was just torture. When planning this years trip, I insisted on being here for the fireworks of "Primavera".
What has surprised me, is that everything started so much earlier, so it has happened fast and furious. It has been very warm, very early this Spring, so all the color is out and fab. But they need rain badly, so this morning I am just fine with the gentle rain that has been falling for several hours. Gives me a chance to sit and write...
All over this little area of Umbria, I have noticed massive old wisteria vines, and also loads of big old fruit trees. I think most are plums, peach, pear, apple...lots of them. Maybe almonds, since we have been eating lots of roasted almonds, sold in the shell. A particular delight. The big trees on the property we are staying at are stone fruits. The largest is a yellow cherry, I've been told. (next year, let's try to be here in June....)
Yesterday we were sitting outside reading, when all of a sudden a wind came up and it was like snow, the petals of this cherry blowing through the garden. It was magic.
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| Yellow cherry at Villa Adriana. Johnny is in love with the hand hewn ladder. No, Dear, you can't ship it home. |
We have actually watched, just in the past week and a half, the wisteria and fruit trees go from tight bud to full blown color.... Honestly, mind blowing how fast everything busted open.
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| Old wisteria covering a car mechanics shop, down the road from Panicale. |
All the fields are super-intense green, and many are over planted with cover crops of fave or clover. Lots of alfalfa, too. I've noticed that there are many fields planted with mustard, like at home in the wine country. So every once in awhile, we'll come across these electric yellow landscapes.
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| I think it's alfalfa, either as cover crop, or for the livestock. |
I'm so tempted to head out early in the morning with clippers, to cut some lilacs. There are a few here in the neighborhood that look like they are just out in the field, so I just might go for it. No one seems to mind, as long as you aren't going right through a gate, into someone's garden...
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| Lilac along the road in Paciano |
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| An old, old soul standing solo in the midst of olive trees. |
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| I keep taking these shots of white, white against the blue sky.... Always minding the bees! |
So, all around the walls of Panicale, there are these gardens with amazing wisteria..some carefully tended, others sort of wild and on their own. Either way, they are a sight to behold. Oh, and fragrant in the extreme. We saw them last year, just the slightest buds...this year, Wow.
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| We walk by this everyday, many times. Joy. |
My favorite garden is just around the corner from the main portal into town. A 20 year old masterpiece, though the owners are pretty low key about it. Last year we were invited in to take a good look. Very well tended, and a showplace, to be sure. The two wisteria, white and blue, are stunning. I watched all week, as they came into full bloom.
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| The white wisteria travels up to the second balcony... gorgeous against the color of the stone. Sigh. |
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| From the sidewalk, outside the walls, it's an amazing show. |
I'm happy to have my little gardening life here, at our place. I'm keeping it small, of course, but I can't resist a couple of pots of herbs and color. We also have a veg garden that was already planted. We can enjoy it while we are here.
There is an older gent, Rinato, that comes every now and then, to tend the 50 olive trees, fruit trees and all else on this property. No English spoken, of course, but we have the universal language of gardening, so it's all good. I have a feeling he thinks my little pots are sort of silly, but that's ok. He appreciates that I understand the water situation, and believe in conserving. That goes a long way with Rinato.
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| My lettuce and violas. It makes me happy |
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| The lower garden with fave, peas, and now tiny sprouting arugula that Loreen and I planted last week.Veg garden with a view. |
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| I must have my entourage of fresh herbs... basil, sage, marjoram and thyme. I've already used these. |
Thank you, Powers That Be.
From the Devic Council on International Fairy Conduct (DCIFC):
ReplyDeleteAfter the disastrous Japanese winter incident 1911, when all the cherry blossoms bloomed on New Years day causing a cancellation of the much coveted Cherry Blossom Festival, all flower fairies were put on a 1000 year Moratorium of Impeccable Behavior. At that time, according to chapter 17 of International Fairy Lore, elves from the sake factory were seen frolicking, in a most unseemly way, with the delicate Cherry Fairies. It seemed that the most accomplished Cherry Fairy, Sumiko, and the son of the head Sake Elf, Kei, wanted to elope (we discovered later). To distract the elders, both groups arranged a huge New Years Eve party with the elves supplying the beverage. The party was a success except for the fact that the fairies forgot themselves and danced the marimba spring dance resulting in the disastrous blooming of the cherry trees months ahead of schedule. Belatedly realizing the horrific incident, Sumiko and Kei fled to Northern Italy where they hid for 100 years in the dwarven marble mines. While the fairies and elves of the region knew about the couple, they did not tell the Elemental Council nor the DCIFC. This was in part due to the advanced skills of Kei and his unique talent of distilling marble dust into tasty wine and the profits it brought to the dwarves (council to review in three months time). The Chianti Elven Brotherhood was so taken with Kei that he was put in charge of the chalk Chiantis of the Tuscany region (his successes are listed in chapter 117). Sumiko, on the other hand, was so embarrassed with the events preceding the elopement that she made herself smaller and smaller and smaller still, before hiding in every single stone fruit tree in the region. Even the DCIFC had occasional difficulties locating her (we admit with chagrin). However, this spring we are breathtakingly pleased. It appears that Sumiko has come out of hiding and bloomed all the fruit trees in spectacular timing, perfect color and the proper scent to attract the bee nurturers. We, the DCIFC, have decided to retract the moratorium from 1000 years to a mere 500. ~On an aside note. Kei apparently had no difficulty finding Sumiko. The happy couple and their 33 children, are residing in the Old Moss Villa just past the third exit on the road to primavera.