Last Looks At My Spring Garden….Sigh.

  So…I'm all ready to take off and hand over the garden to Pedro, my awesome garden helper, as well as James and Anna, our illustrious house sitters….but it's so hard!

  This year we had crazy weather…way too much drought, and then super warm weather at the wrong time, and finally a spit of rain…well, all in all it leads to a garden that is bursting forth with gusto, but way too early. Tough for me to see everything coming into full glory just as we are hopping a plane to Umbria. 

  All I can say is…enjoy the fruits of our labors, you well loved members of Team Apodaca! At least I know that veggies will be harvested and eaten, roses will make awesome bouquets, and those who help to make our 'other life'  possible will enjoy the fruits of our labors…..

  This all being said….damn, it's hard to fly away from the garden this spring…at least I know I will be enjoying the garden life in Panicale so very soon…like day after tomorrow..

  In the mean time, here are some recent shots from "Cento Uccelli", or "100 Birds", the chosen name for our property…..

Some lovely textures working together...

Random bulbs coming up in the pathway!

Just more texture

A favorite bulb going off...

I just love this combo

More wacky combos….

  I planted beets, carrots, arugula, artichokes, potatoes, green onions…..I know our various helpers will enjoy at it all! 

Beets and carrots…..

I'm loving the beet greens

Arugula just getting ready….

I adore my flowering crabapple…it reads springtime to me!

Heirloom roses behind the crabapple

  I replanted several clematis this year. While dormant, I dug them out, cut back the roots, and replanted. Oh, and I kept my fingers and toes crossed…who knew? They are coming back like freaking gang busters. I hope I get to see some blooms when we return...

The new growth on the clematis looks great….

  I am in total love with all my hellebores. 

  Seriously. It's obscene. I LOVE them.  They are finding there way all throughout the garden. They are like the best guests EVER. They cook, clean, shop, do the dishes AND wash the car. I love them. 

  Just stay away from my hubby, ok?

   

  The roses….well, I'm crying. I will miss the big show. And it looks to be very big indeed, this year. Again, I am just really happy to have someone staying here to cut massive bouquets of old fashioned, heirloom and English roses.
 Enjoy.

Just a bit of new growth on an old rose….
I like it with the succulents.

  The succulents are just rocking my garden world right now. I keep taking bits and pieces and putting them everywhere…they are what I need in the garden, to calm things down…and use less H2O...

  In other areas, it's always a combo of texture, color, and easy care….

I love my variegated geraniums…..

Lots of plectranthus in the front garden..
so much pleasure from such an easy going plant...

My much loved(and pulled out!) Geranium Maderense.
A beauty in the spring garden, but reseeds like CRAZY!!!

Maderense just starting to open up...

  I had this massive and very out of control Banksia rose that we severely cut back this past fall.Well, it's coming back beautifully, and I am committed to keeping her under control. In a good way.

Lady Banksia is looking' good!

Very pedestrian, sure…but I do adore my variegated geranium. She is an old fashioned Dame that I'll have
in my garden any day. Plus, she serves a mean Mint Julep.

 As a parting shot, it's my artichokes. So Italian, so right for our own central coast climate….I have two varieties…the local Green Globe, as well as an Italian Veronese Purple. Why not? they look great in the garden, and give even more of a feeling of living in two worlds.

  Tomorrow I'm on a plane to Italy. I'll be writing more than ever, I hope, and sharing lots of garden, food, travel, art……it's always an adventure when you Live Pronto!!!