Last garden outing? Surely not

The latest outing was planned and organised by the Garden Club of Monza, not as well-attended as it should have been unfortunately. And the weather …… awful ,after a wonderful week of sun, anyhow we went up to ….. the nursery Anna Peyron. We had been there before, in fact it’s where I first got the idea of a hydrangea tree and decided to let my beautiful macrophylla grow into a tree. We had a nice if slippery and wet walk round the nursery, very much left to its own devices to see how the plants behave when they are not too manhandled. The owner’s daughter Saskia took me to see the tree that had inspired me and I was able to ask a few questions which she answered very willingly. On our walk round she illustrated a little experiment she’d done on a rose bush; half of it had had the summer chop or if you prefer green pruning, the other half left to mature, wither and make hips. The difference was absolutely astounding, the pruned bush was pink all over with roses so next summer I think I’ll try my hand at summer pruning.

Hungry? We then went to a restaurant inside a rocca (La Rocca di Arignano) dating back to the year 1000.What an experience! In the entrance, together with the books and studies concerning the building was a beautiful modern piece of art work. (it’s by Arnaldo Pomodoro entitled “La Soglia and is one of only three examples) We went down to the dining room though I’m tempted to call it dining hall. Everything on the menu was unusual and one of the ladies was going to opt for the risotto (which is the people of Lombardy’s default menu) but we convinced her to try the taster menu.Thank god, it was fantastic. Comments like “I’ve got some of this in my garden” (plantain? ) “Is this …….”, “Can you taste the……?”a fantastic meal , washed down by a couple of bottles of the good stuff (Nebbiolo), thanks to Oliviero. Next, feeling warm and replenished and very good humoured, off to the second nursey in serious rainfall

Feletig had organised a group of like- minded people to hold a small garden show but of course there was quite enough to keep us busy. Some interesting plants with autumnal colours and particularly berries. The garden is a year-round project after all. There were some garden antiques and an English lady demonstrating water colour botanic painting. I was happy to find the young people I’d met before who have set up a firm selling wood chippings, and I’m looking forward to experimenting with them. Home lateish but extremely happy with my single plant ( symphoricarpos) and a bag of chippings!