The Gardens of the
C A S A d u B O R G H E S E
Almost Eclipsed by a Moon!
These pictures are from late spring right up to a week ago*. Here at the Casa du Borghese I, well... the houseboys and I, are still trying to bring the gardens back to where the Patriach had them with variety. Upon being moved back, I still have no rhyme or reason to what things are or where they go, but plant what I think looks pretty, and flowers we enjoy. I still have no idea what I'm doing, but it all seems to be coming along.
* Mistress Maddie sent in these photos on 16th October.
In particular doing well this year were the roses, delphiniums, saliva, zinnias, black eyed Susan's, dahlias and the potted garden:
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I have no idea what the white stuff bush is, or for that matter the little purple berries shrub, but those two are now in bloom as are tons of zinnias:
[Jon??]
I'm particularly proud of my cocks comb:
All in all, I and the houseboys are pretty pleased.
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And now for Maddie's Triffid reveal - followed by another VERY revealing treat!
"Brace yourselves.....my pricks!!!!!!"
It is actually the center part of a coneflower!!!!
Excuse me now as we have to go wash all this dirt off us.
This could take some time.
How did those triffids get in there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
YIKES!!!!!!!
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"Yikes"? I don't think you'll get any complaints about your moonlit water garden, Maddie!
On the agenda next is Ms Scarlet's current garden, and one from Memory Lane, so join us on Thursday for a good old snout around!
My word... what that girl can't get to bloom! Why I have a giant toad stool growing right in front of me just looking at that last picture! And such pictures. What a lovely garden. Tell me, how does she get it to grow? It looks very established. Very marvelous, indeed. As if we'd expect any less of Miss Maddie!
ReplyDeleteToadstools! As long as it's the firm hard variety I can do something with that, or at least make a nice soup.
Deletei've long said he can make anything grow,bigger.
DeleteFrom what I have seen Upton King, I suspect Maddie has quite a few recipes of things that he can do with a toadstool?
Deletetoad stool abuse you ask me
DeleteMistress Maddie has the best pricks!! No wonder she needs a Cocks Comb. Superb selection! I love the orange flowers - they would look lovely in my garden.
ReplyDeleteSx
Oh miss garlic your two kind. Remind me to send you a few pricks. I think there's some extras in the Republican Party! The orange flowers you're referring to I believe are the marigolds. They're lovely not only are they pretty and have a nice scent, but the Sun Also for some reason repels gnats.
DeleteNow I'm working on my post in a few days for something called the freaking green ELF shorts
"Remind me to send you a few pricks. I think there's some extras in the Republican Party". how cruel mistress.
DeleteOh I'm so excited Mr device you were able to fit all my pictures. I only wish I had found a picture of what the gardens look like before my father. Alas, this weekend to Gordon took a turn as the Great Oak Tree shed its leaves and now everything is literally covered in what seems like 3 ft of leaves, it's going to be fun to clean out. About the only thing left going, is the salvia, the Roses, and a few zinnias. I surmise this weekend I will be pruning everything back for winter sleep. Give me great ideas, maybe next year I should send pictures from the Water Garden Alone!
ReplyDeleteIt was a tight squeeze but I managed to fit you all in!
DeleteI know how you feel about the fallen oak leaves - I'm picking up sycamore leaves every other day, but no keys/seeds, strangely. I don't know what happened to them all - unless the hot, dry summer meant the trees didn't produce any?
Yes, next year will provide a new opportunity for photo finding. And posing!
Mr DeVice - I too thought this year's heatwave might have "done for" the sycamore seeds, but alas, I was mistaken. All this incessant rain has meant they've just rotted-off their wings and are being dragged underground by the worms. They'll soon appear from their hiding-places come the first warmth of Spring, no doubt, and we'll spend a frustrating few weeks/months pulling out seedlings from every crack [oo-er!]. Jx
DeleteBut aren't you boys used to pulling things out of cracks?
DeleteIf something's sprouting, it usually goes in, surely? Jx
DeleteHow fabulous - not just pricks and mooning, but a lovely English-cottage-style garden to boot. me, jealous of all that space to play with, much?
ReplyDeleteSeriously lovely selection of flowers. You must be very proud of your efforts. Clink, clink, sweetie!
Jx
PS As for the "mystery plants"... The "white stuff" is possibly common dogwood, but it is difficult to tell from the photo. The purple berry shrub is Callicarpa - so unusual, I love it!
I think Jon's right. But then, when does he make a gardening cock-up? It's a lovely garden, Maddie.Thanks for showing us.
DeleteThanks Jon! That is roughly almost behind the garden shed we have. I didn't even know if it was a plant, or weed, but liked the berries. I wonder if the berries are poison. I never seem to see any critters eating them.
DeleteCallicarpa isn't poisonous, and the berries are eaten by birds in winter (but according to Wikipedia only as a last resort because they are astringent). Apparently they contain chemicals that are mosquito-repellent, as well, so useful as well as exotic... Jx
DeleteThank you Dinah!!!
DeleteAnd Jon...thank for the tip on the berries. My mother wanted it yanked...but as I told her...it between the shed not bothering anything. So there it stays.
How lovely! I have several of these variety myself, but luckily, I have an old gardener man that tends to it and does the lawn. When the Mistress moved back, I had the feeling he was itching to get his hands back into the earth. There are some shots here I don't think he shared on his blog. The zinnias are stunning as is the delphiniums.
ReplyDeleteNow I'm not sure which got me more flustered. The "white stuff", the pricks or his moonlit water garden. Made me blush to see a butt up where it should be. And yes, I may be old, but I still know what the white stuff is! I have been enjoying this garden tour so far. I wondered what the triffid picture was too. Now it makes sense-coneflower. You'd thought?
Yes, we got lucky with Mistress Maddie's 'exclusives'!
DeleteYou'll have to excuse me Miss Agnes, but I'm a little bashful about conversing about white stuff with you.
DeleteDelphiniums. Dahlias. Ducks? Perhaps a rubber duckie in the water garden?
ReplyDeleteno rubber duck, just water fowl.
DeleteI can tell you now MJ, I'm not about to stick a rubber duck up my arse.
DeleteFantastic! I often curl my lip at the sight of marigolds, but those at stunning. I also admire the coco de mer, but not in a lesbian way.
ReplyDeleteThose marigolds have multiped over the years just from the seeds and buried "heads" of marigolds. Good Grief, I have a drag friend that is named Coco de Mere!!!
DeleteI have to say I too agree Mitzi. The heads on those marigolds look huge!
Deleteare
ReplyDeletecolorful blooms and cake, what's not to like.
ReplyDeleteWe know what you want a slice of. The cockscomb, am I right?
DeleteCockscomb, pricks and cakes?!?! Is this a garden tour or a back room of a sex club? Glorious garden. I'd be as lucky to have half that variety. I have no luck with outdoor plants. My favorite are the zinnias and the dahlias. So anyone take me under their wing to teach me.
ReplyDeleteAnd your right, what an inducing Moonlight water garden. A nice set of noble lily pads?
The dahlia and zinnias did wonderful this summer Asriel. It was unfortunate that the Fushia's didn't. They were burnt up by July this heat from the heat. Unlike you, I have no luck with indoor plants. This just might be the first time someone called my Moonlight Water garden lily pads, noble.
DeleteThe triffid was interesting. If anybody had a bowl with a thousand Pricks on it, it would be Maddie!
DeleteWhat's wrong with multitasking?
DeleteGood heavens, what beautiful colors
ReplyDeleteThat garden or my cakes?
DeleteThank you Peenee. It has taken two years to get some of this mess sorted and getting going again.
Good heavens! How'd I miss all this? Of all the pictures, the Pansies got me. I adore them. I also wonder, does the Mistress ever wear anything from the waist down? He must. How does he leave the house?
ReplyDeleteAs there's no evidence of a fig tree in Mistress Maddie's garden, we can only assume that a tastefully positioned cockscomb is de riguer for autumnal perambulations, perhaps?
DeleteAnd, welcome, Oh Parker!
Nope, I never wear pants Parker. If I leave the house I just have to put a willy warmer on.
ReplyDeleteI've really been loving these posts. Ever since moving to Amsterdam years ago I've really missed gardening, as the home I moved into has but a small courtyard. In these pictures I really love the Potted Garden. I also rather enjoyed the marigolds, zinnias, and the black-eyed Susans, but delphiniums are always one of my favorite and I've had no luck growing them, here at least. I've always been fascinated by cockscomb. And needless to say I have always thought the mistress has wonderful water assets.
ReplyDeleteDelphinium has always done well in our Back Garden if I recall. We just haven't had it in years because mother didn't no how to a tend it when I wasn't here. So I gave it a whirl this season and I did very well. The initial Bloom of it is always the best, but once the dead balloons are cut off it will continue blooming granted, each Bloom gets less spectacular.. and as you surmised I'm very fascinated by cockscomb myself. And it also dries out nicely, to a hard brilliant stand at attention position.
DeleteWelcome to the Event, Midnight Magpie! I'm glad you're enjoying our little show, and perhaps it might inspire you to grow a couple of pots of something in your courtyard to show next year?
DeleteMistress Maddie's water garden is quite the eye-opener!
My goodness! How did I almost miss your fabulous contribution to the Garden Party! I'm so glad I scrolled back a little. What a feast for the eyes! Eye candy everywhere, ass and all! I know that not all the submissions have been shown yet, but you win, as far as I'm concerned! (I hear IDV in the back of my brain....It's not a competition!...) Pfft, whatever! ;)
ReplyDeleteAnd now I'm at the front!
Delete"The Management would like to remind you that the Garden Photos Event is NOT a competition!"
:: returns to G&T and contemplating an easier life ::
Thank you, Melanie...but I swear it is all luck. I was very disappointed, yet again with Fushia, one of my favorites. Just way to hot here I suspect. Last year it did wonderful, but it was also much cooler then this summer. I think now, I'm starting to see what does well here now, and will try some new things next year.
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ReplyDeleteGosh what a treat, a tour of the gardens of Casa du Borghese through time
Our gardening philosophy is as yours; "plant what I think looks pretty, and flowers we enjoy." (I definitely enjoyed your water garden.)
Fabulous and you both have every right to be dead chuffed.
Coming from you Madame Arcati and your hubby is high compliment indeed. And if you two need a water feature, I'm available as a water feature by the day.
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