We have done lots of work in the garden at Casa Debbio. Some trees were cut down last autumn and it was all looking a bit bare, so we are planting the terrace below the house.

Filippo and Batista have built us a new fence at the edge of the drop to allow plantings above and below.
We bought about 80 lavender plants, hydrangeas, peonies, azaleas, lilac, fruticans, roses, raspberries, blueberries and a few other things. Our lovely gardening friend Agostino has given us lots of plants he has grown from seed and cuttings.



The terrace still looks a bit bare, but I am hoping the plants will grow quickly and fill in the gaps.
Spring has been slow coming, but our beautiful new magnolia tree grew some excellent flowers.


Now it is busily growing leaves which I hope will give us some shade this summer.
The daffodils were beautiful and lasted for weeks. They are finished now and irises are about to appear.

The weeping cherry put on a good show.


Trees are finally starting to turn green. Our walnut is getting leaves. One of our fig trees has baby figs.


The quince is covered in new growth.


The Judas tree has tiny flowers.

All the fruit trees are in blossom.


We have a carpet of blue flowers under the trees at the edge of the terrace above the house. I think they are periwinkles.

I have peonie buds everywhere…my favourite flower. A couple of new ones I bought came with flowers about to open and they have done so.



The aquilegia has come up again this year. These are the cutest little flowers.


I have violets.

Strawberries are beginning to grow.

The bleeding hearts were under a hazelnut tree last year, they like shade. This year they have reappeared. I hope the full sun is not too hot for them.


Work continues. It takes a few hours just to water the new plants and there is endless weeding to do.
Soon the roses will appear and the wisteria is on the way…I’ll let you know how it all goes.
There is a fly in the ointment…mufloni. We have wild goats and deer living all around us. They occasionally drop in at night and nibble things. They have chewed the poor rhododendrons and ate 2 roses soon after I planted them.
I spotted these on the road up to Vergemoli…I hope they stay there.