Pruning lavender at Casa Debbio is one of my favourite gardening jobs. I put it off as long as I could because the plants were still looking good.  We have about 300 lavender plants now and some of them are shoulder height.
There were some wonderful sunrises at Casa Debbio while I was there.


The dry summer meant our figs didn’t do well and the fruit trees didn’t grow much, but we did get raspberries, tomatoes and a few pomegranates.  The pomegranate trees turn a gorgeous golden shade.

The persimmon tree did very well and grew fruit. Unfortunately the wild goats tried to clamber up the tree to get to the fruit. I eventually pulled the fruit off and left it on the ground for them.

It was amazing to watch the trees change colour over the weeks I was there.

In my final weeks I pruned the lavender and some other plants that grew well in summer. The flowers were in my hair, pockets and shoes. There were trails of lavender everywhere.



Filippo came after I cut the flowers to shape the larger plants. It is much easier with his power tool than my shears.

My friend Paola came to cut lavender too. She makes lavender sachets.

Before and after.




One lunch time called for a pizza with my new favourite topping, stracchino cheese and prosciutto.


I enjoyed my autumn weeks at Casa Debbio. The garden is now getting ready to sleep through winter. When I return in February my daffodils, jonquils and freesias should be poking through the soil. I look forward to seeing my peonies to come back to life. If they all survive the winter there will be 60 of them. There will be some new plantings next year…I can’t wait to get started.