plant and seed shopping

For some reason we totally ignored our terrace this year. One reason was that we worked a lot on our garden in Todi. But that’s no excuse. Maybe it was because the wires that hold up the shade tarps fell down and we never got it together to reinstall them. Whatever the reason, the terrace is just a mess.  
So, now it’s fall, and even though this should be the time of year when we stop thinking about the terrace, I’ve decided to make big changes.

While I went out to lunch today, (with Michele and Charles Scicolone, if you want to know, at Taverna dei Fori Imperiali) Domenico stayed home and did grunt work. He ripped up leggy, ugly plants. He through out bucket loads of old, tired soil. He hauled out the old, musty tarps.

Now I am faced with big empty beautiful terracotta pots. My big change? To totally eliminate the decorative plants. No more roses. Ivy, get outta here. Scented geranium, you can stay, since in theory you keep mosquitos at bay. And of course, our six citrus plants have a home forever.

So, once I had had a coffee to offset the wine I had too much of at lunch, (thank you Charles!) we headed to Eurogarden to fill in the empty spaces. This is one of Rome’s largest, and most centrally located, nurseries. But, just in case you think this blog post is only for those of you living in Rome, think again. If you are a tourist, and have a garden, this is a great place to come. Yes, to look, but also to buy. Not only can you pick up nifty European clippers and tools, they have a wide selection of seeds. Ok, I know you’re not supposed to import agricultural goods, but everyone I know does it. If you’re nervous, then just mail them back to yourself.

Getting back to our shopping. Everything had to be useful. And by useful, I mean edible. So: Sage, basil, rosemary, thyme, chives, tarragon and savory. I also decided that I still have time to seed arugula and radishes before the cold sets in. Actually, the cold never really hits our terrace, since it’s so protected. Hence the optimistic buying of basil.

Also two huge sacks of beautiful potting soil.

Tomorrow you’ll know what we’ll be doing.

Eurogarden
Viale dei Terme di Caracalla 70